A Brick to the Face
by Xerxies19
Summary: A collection of SeiferxHayner drabbles/ficlets to be updated daily. Slash, Seiner, various ratings, some alternate universe fics.
1. Threshold

Welcome to a ficlet/drabble project I just recently started to reward all my loyal fans and random reviewers for their kind words and patience. This will continue until I run out of themes, which are exclusively provided by you, the readers. One review gets you one theme made, if you'd like to suggest more than one feel free, I'll pick my favorite. The quality of the review directly corresponds to the quality of the returning ficlet. I'd prefer one or two word themes if you can. Thank you in advance for reading and maybe reviewing.

As of 4/20/2012 I am at or near my current limit of prompts, so those of you who are new are allowed to submit one prompt, but beyond that I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I catch up. Thank you, everyone.

Rating: T

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

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><p>001: Threshold<p>

Seifer breathed deeply in order to gather his thoughts enough to keep his head about him. This was probably going to be one of the hardest conversations he'd ever had in his life, and that was if it went well. Pushing the door open, he waited a moment in the threshold, watching his boyfriend pet their dog while he worked on an essay. Sighing, he entered the room, clutching a letter and a small card in his hand.

"Hay, I need to talk to you."

The other man turned to him in alarm before getting up, knowing just by the tone of his voice that something serious was happening. Dark eyes glanced down at the letter and his mouth turned down gravely before he looked back up at his partner questioningly. They both knew when the government reinstituted the draft that one of them could get stuck fighting a war against the Heartless but they had hoped they could actually be lucky for once in their lives.

"When do you ship out?" Hayner asked finally, voice hard.

"Three weeks. Apparently I tested out of being a grunt and was automatically promoted to Captain. I'm probably not going to get to come back home for two years minimum, unless we actually win before then," he added with an air of disbelief, knowing damn well this wasn't the kind of war that was won in half a decade.

"I guess we'll just have to make the best of the time we have then, won't we?" He replied with a small, sad smile before pulling his lover in for a kiss.

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><p>It had been a full month since he'd been flown out to Hollow Bastion and he'd already lost three of his squadron to the front lines. They were set up in a small grouping of houses away from the Castle proper, one of the few places that was safe from constant assault by the Heartless thanks to the efforts of the keyblade wielder Sora. As a Captain he had his own room, though it might as well have been a jail cell for how small and sparse it was. Seifer had only received one letter from his boyfriend since he'd gotten here and was growing increasingly worried about the lack of return mail from the message he'd sent out two and a half weeks ago.<p>

A knock at his door pulled him out of his thoughts and he answered it, finding his second in command, Namine. She hadn't been drafted, instead she joined of her own accord to protect their world against the menace of the shadowy creatures. Though she was small and seemingly timid around others, on the battlefield she was easily the bravest person out there. He wasn't sure what her reasons for joining up as a combat operative had been, but he liked her. Sometimes they talked about Hayner during the long nights when the Captain couldn't sleep.

"Is everything alright, Nam?"

"I was just coming to inform you that we'll be receiving five new recruits tomorrow. You don't have to greet them in person right away, they won't be combat-ready for a few days, but I thought you should know in case you wanted to get a head start on terrifying them."

He gave her a small smile before replying, "I think I'll give them a break their first night. If I scare them too bad while the transport is still on base they might try to run off."

"Such a thoughtful captain, Seifer," she joked in return before wishing him a good night and leaving.

He avoided pulling up a list of the new recruits to try and keep his mind off the idea of five more lives to be responsible for. If he did he'd be up all night thinking about the people that had already died under his command and the idea that the fate of everyone back home depended in part upon him. As it was he fell asleep at his desk not long after and woke up with the sound of the transport arriving. Blinking wearily he stood and stretched before making his way to his bed and laying down for another few hours. Their squad was one of the least formal since they were on the front lines, far away from the micro-managing strategists who thought they could tell him when exactly he could go to sleep, wake up, eat, and piss. His subordinates didn't really give a shit if their captain got some extra sleep, especially if it meant he'd be well-rested enough to not die the next skirmish.

A couple hours later he was roused by a knock at his door, brows furrowing at the intrusion in his rest. For a moment he considered actually get up and answering the door to see what Namine wanted as she was the only one who bothered him when he was in his room, but then he decided against it. The injury he'd gotten in one of his first battles may have healed over, but the scar on his back still hurt deeply as if it was a fresh wound in the mornings and he preferred to just sleep through the pain.

"Go away Nam, I'm sleeping."

To his surprise, instead of a joking comment about his sleeping habits said through the wood, the door was pushed open, never having been locked since he got here. Irritated at the intrusion despite his implied order, he rolled over and sat up, fully ready to bark something at the blond girl.

"Still just as lazy in the mornings as always, Seif. Sorry, _Captain_ _Almasy_," his boyfriend said with a secretive smile.

"What the hell, Hay? How did you get here?" He asked incredulously; the only reason he knew he wasn't dreaming was because of the dull throbbing in his back.

He was leaning on the threshold of the door easily, relaxed despite the full uniform he had on. Assuming the right to enter, he walked in before explaining and shut the door behind him.

"I joined your unit. It took a while to convince them to let me, that's the only reason I didn't get here sooner. You didn't honestly think I'd let you do this alone, did you?"

He smiled and got out of bed to meet his partner, kissing him like he'd wanted to for every one of the thirty-one days he'd been living in this little slice of hell. It was probably completely inappropriate to be dating one of his subordinates, but if his superiors didn't care enough to prevent Hayner from being assigned to him, then obviously the non-fraternization guidelines had been thrown out the window somewhere between here and when they were written and he was all too happy for it.

"Love you Seifer."

"Love you too, Hayner. Are you expected anywhere any time soon?" He asked abruptly.

"No, why?" The younger man returned curiously, brown eyes searching him for an explanation.

"Because as far as I'm concerned it's been way too fucking long since I got to hold you, and I am still tired as hell."

With that he shoved his lover onto the bed and tugged him out of his uniform expertly before being pulled onto the hard mattress himself. Pulling the tan blond into his arms he kissed Hayner on the forehead and let the feeling of a twin heartbeat against his chest lull him back into a much more peaceful sleep. He still had a war to win and lives to protect, but at least now he knew he wouldn't have to do it alone.


	2. Untraveled

Pretty short one this time.

Rating: PG

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

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><p>002. Untraveled<p>

Hayner leaned his head against the window and let his thoughts meander where they would, feeling a little bored after already riding and driving alternately for four hours straight. Eventually his musing settled on the ring on his left hand, a calm platinum band with veins of faintly pulsing magicite running through it whimsically. He'd been wearing it nonstop for three years now and still felt its weight. To some married couples their rings eventually became something they didn't notice after getting used to it, but it wasn't so for him or his partner.

The ring represented a decade of struggle, tension, avoidance, adversity, and a love that endured all of these. There were several times when he'd given up, he'd even dated other people for a while because the thought of not having his feelings returned was too much to deal with when he was younger. It was when his relationship with Roxas began getting serious that Seifer had finally stepped in and called him out on it. His boyfriend at the time had understood his need to deal with his old rival on his own, and to do that they had to take a break. Thinking back on it, Roxas probably knew the whole time they were apart that they wouldn't be getting back together. Hayner had never guessed that the man who used to bully and fight with him constantly was, to put it lightly, madly in love with him the vast majority of that time. He'd all but given up on the crush he'd entertained since he was a freshman in high school, but in the face of the other's passion he decided to give the scarred man the benefit of the doubt and date him.

The spiky-haired blond had been slightly bitter about Hayner and Seifer's sudden relationship up until he met a certain pyromaniac and was swept off his feet in a narrative fit for a Disney Princess movie. After that it was easy to settle back into the pattern of friends, where each discovered that they were more comfortable with each other now that they weren't romantically involved than they were when they had been. Chances are if the man with ice-colored eyes hadn't forced his counterpart into a confrontation they both would have missed out on the loves of their lives. Thinking about his best friend in retrospect, he knew they never would have been as happy with each other as they were with their respective lovers. They might have stayed together and gotten married, managed to make do with what they had, but he knew now that life with Seifer was everything he'd ever wanted. They'd fought and threatened to break up several times, relationships weren't the kind of things that could ever be perfect, but they'd stayed together. He still found himself amazed at random intervals that the handsome, talented, gentle, and ardent man always at his side was really his, forever.

If anything had happened differently they probably wouldn't be here, driving to their mutual friends' house to celebrate the redhead's thirtieth birthday. Even if it had been a lot harder this way, he was glad things happened as they did. The road he was on looked a lot better than the one untraveled.

"What's up chickadee, you're quiet all of a sudden. Tired?"

"A little, yeah. Mind if I sleep?"

"Go ahead, I should be able to make it the rest of the way myself. Sleep well if you can, Hay."

He smiled at his husband and let his eyes fall closed, content in the knowledge that his companion would probably carry him into the house once they got there instead of waking him up. No matter what he'd wake up with his husband beside him, he hadn't had to awaken without the presence of the other right next to him since they moved in together. He looked forward to spending the rest of his life doing just the same.

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><p>To LoveUnderAMidnightSky and Aomoa, I'm working on your fics, expect them in under a week~ Please do review everyone, even those who have already reviewed before, and ask for more themes~ One review = one theme, it just may take me a bit longer to get to yours if you've already gotten one or I'm already working on yours. Just trying to be fair to everyone. See you all soon~<p> 


	3. Stranger

Since 002 was so short I decided to be nice and give you two in a day. Won't always happen, just felt like it.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

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><p>003. Stranger<p>

The knife at his throat seemed to be the least of his worries if he had any ability to read the dark look on the other man's face, the cold bricks at his back steadying him against panic. Maybe he'd brought this situation on himself, always frequenting dark alleys in the hopes of catching criminals in the act and stopping them. Now instead of stopping crime, he was in the process of becoming the victim of one. He couldn't decide if it was full-circle poetic or just ordinarily ironic.

"What the hell do you want kid? You've been taking out members of our crew left and right, you got a gang, or are you just in it for the fuck of it?"

The blade made curling motions against the soft skin over his windpipe and the sensation of having his flesh slowly cut in designs made his heart flutter as he tried to answer, "Just the fuck of it."

"So what are we gonna do about it? You seem to be smart enough to track us down, maybe you can come up with something?" There was a sinister darkness to his voice as he leaned in closer.

As a leg slipped between his he finally caught on to the man's intent, sneering and glaring at him daringly. Life in danger or no this wasn't going to go the gang member's way. A faint glow that looked suspiciously like the cherry of a cigarette was moving toward them, the smoker themselves impossibly silent. His attacker shifted his attention to the unknown figure as well, giving him a chance to shove the man off. He slashed out wildly and caught Hayner on the cheek, deep and biting. The teen punched him hard in the jaw, sending him into the opposite end of the alley. Growling, the older man regained his footing and jumped at him, grabbing the brown-eyed male by his collar and throwing him to the ground.

The click of the safety on a pistol kept him rooted to the cold pavement, dark eyes staring up at his opponent, flicking over to the .45 repeatedly, nervous. This was not his fucking night. Then the man with the gun grunted and collapsed, the smoker stepping out into the faint moonlight behind him after landing the heavy punch. He'd never met the newcomer before, but just by the color of his eyes and the scar between them he knew exactly who had just saved his ass. The infamous leader of the Disciplinary Committee had seen fit to rescue him, though why someone like Seifer would bother was up in the air.

"I've been watching you, you've been helping a lot of people out of bad situations with the same group this clown is in. Were you telling the truth when you said you weren't in a gang and were just doing this for fun?" The older blond asked, eyes like shards of ice glowing in the pale light as he looked down at the other.

"Uh, y-yeah. I just don't like seeing innocent people hurt by gangs just for being there at the wrong time," he answered unsteadily, finding it more than a little funny he was more afraid of this guy's reputation than he had been of the gun pointed at his head seconds ago.

"Good. That's a rare quality, especially in this part of town. You homeless, Hayner?"

"The fuck do you know my name? And yeah, I live on the streets, got a problem with that? I don't need your goddamn pity, Almasy," he snarled, using the man's last name venomously.

"I wasn't offering any," he snapped back, instead offering him a hand up, which he grudgingly accepted for the muted show of friendship it was.

"Come on, the Disciplinary Committee headquarters isn't far from here, you can sleep there."

"I never said I wanted to join up," he returned, still not following the narrative of this encounter at all; he knew Seifer was incredibly obtuse but he didn't even think the guy was on the same planet as him right now, much less the same page.

"I wasn't asking," the muscular fighter replied simply, smirking.

His legs carried him after the enigmatic man against his better judgment and he knew he was being led into danger like a moth to the flame. It was probably completely inadvisable to let one of the most violently courageous gang leaders take him in, but at least he might experience some of the fire's warmth and light before he burned to death in it. Pulling his leather jacket around him tightly against the cold, he could feel the blood on his cheek drying and thought for just a second that maybe the meeting with this particular stranger down a dark alley wasn't all bad.


	4. Storm

Incredibly short drabble is incredibly short, but it sort of needed to be.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: G

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><p>004. Storm<p>

The rain came down hard, washing out all the colors and painting the landscape a dull grey color with a thick, clumsy brush. Seifer couldn't tell if he was actually crying anymore or if the water running down his face was composed entirely of the tears of the sky. In his opinion you should only have to lose your mother once, not have to deal with it twice. The funeral for his adoptive mother had ended hours ago, but he chose to stay at the graveyard for a while afterward, sitting under a tree. To put it simply he wasn't ready to put a mask on for the rest of the world yet.

Lightning arced from cloud to cloud and thunder sounded so loudly he could feel the mighty oak at his back shake. Even over the din of the weather he could hear footsteps in the saturated mud and grass and didn't bother to look at the newcomer. He had a feeling he knew who it was anyway; the only person other than Fuu and Rai who liked him enough to try and be there for him when he needed it. It was funny how the person he fought with the most he also got along with the best, of all the other denizens of Twilight Town. The other boy sat against the tree next to him, not talking. A glance determined that he was wearing black jeans and a black hoodie, normal camouflage clothing absent.

They sat there in silence but for the thunder for probably close to an hour before he stood, beginning the walk back to his empty house to dry off. Hayner followed him a ways before walking ahead of him at an intersection and holding out his hand. Seifer would have to head left to go to his house, but the other blond lived in the opposite direction. Still the younger teen didn't say anything, just watched him levelly with dark eyes occasionally lit by the bolts of electricity above them. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward and took his rival's hand. Their arms fell to their sides as they walked together through the rain, fingers laced together.


	5. Footprints

I figured you hadn't had enough depressing fics yet, so. This one is vaguely similar to Storm but deals with grieving in a different way.

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><p>005. Footprints<p>

For as long as Hayner could remember there had been two sets of footprints behind him after he took a walk along the beach at sunset. One belonged to him, obviously, and the other to his chocolate lab Samson. He'd been taking these walks since he was ten, just him and his faithful shadow. His parents were always off at a safe distance to keep an eye on him until he became a teenager and they assumed he could handle himself or call them if something happened.

It was the spring of his senior year; he had just recently turned eighteen and instead of walking along the beach as the sun went down he was crying in his room with the curtains drawn. He'd had to put Samson down after having the joyful companion by his side ceaselessly for ten years when they discovered that the dog had liver cancer. The space where his precious pet always slept next to him on his bed was horribly empty as he lay curled miserably beside it, still in his clothes. His phone was on silent but he knew his friends were trying to call or text him to make sure he was okay. Hayner simply didn't feel like dealing with them right now, or with life in general for that matter. He just wanted to sleep for a few years and wake up when it didn't hurt so much.

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><p>When he finally showed up for school after skipping two days he arrived to the typical worried mother-hen routine he was used to from his friends when something went wrong. It seemed like they were eager to take over Samson's position as Hayner's shadow because he almost tripped over the trio three times in a single day. At the very end of the day he opened his locker to find a folded piece of computer paper sitting on top of his backpack. He guessed whoever left it for him had slid it in through one of the slots at the top, but why they would was a mystery. They were all a little old for middle-school locker love letters.<p>

Opening it, he only found two words and a sequence of numbers. In harshly curved letters it said simply 'I'm sorry', below that what appeared to be a cell phone number. At first he considered just tossing it, but after a second of thought he opted to toss it into his backpack to deal with later. As he was working on an essay while texting Roxas he thought about it again and decided to text the number, just for the hell of it. Shooting off a quick message asking who the number belonged to he set his phone down and actually got to work. The five-page essay was due tomorrow after all. The next time his phone buzzed he expected it to be Roxas, finding instead it was the mystery number, the owner being enigmatic about their identity. Instead of answering, they asked how he was doing on his assignment, which was kind of creepy. Giving them a vague surface answer he prodded about who they were, tacking on a question about how they knew he had an essay.

By the end of the night he knew whoever it was had a few of the same classes as he did and knew a lot of small details about his life that few outside of his close-knit circle of friends would. Feeling no closer to an answer than he was when the conversation began, he went to bed, guessing if he just ignored the person they'd have to confront him in person or would give up talking to him.

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><p>Two days later he found another note in his locker, again folded so he couldn't see what was written on it. Not bothering to read it, he just shoved it in his pocket for when he got home. Today wasn't a day he felt like hanging out at school any longer than he had to, it seemed like as time went on without his faithful companion he actually got worse instead of better. If something didn't change he was pretty sure he'd soon just lock himself in his room and ignore the world. The sad part was he didn't even mind the idea of that outcome right now. Throwing his bag on the floor next to his bed he laid down on it, staring at the ceiling. Eventually he kicked off his shoes and got the note out, glancing over it.<p>

'_I know how much it hurts to lose someone you really care about, it may never stop hurting but it does get easier.'_

Frowning he wondered just who would claim to understand what he was going through. Chances were the person did, because no one was a big enough dick to say they understood what he was going through unless they really did, not even Seifer. Texting a half-hearted thanks to the mystery number, he rolled over and decided to go to sleep, too lazy to want to bother with his homework. Tomorrow was Friday anyway; he could just turn it in late.

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><p>Glancing down at the note he had carelessly grabbed as he nearly ran out of school to avoid his friends, he stopped for a second and read it over again, not sure if he believed it. Fighting the urge to crumple it, he folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket, shouldering his backpack again and heading home. He had a few hours before he had to deal with the message on it anyway. Sprawling on his bed and entering the space where Samson once laid for the first time since the dog left his life, he let the tears welling in his eyes fall. Pulling his pillow over his face he screamed instead of letting himself whimper like a wounded animal.<p>

The note had asked him to come to the beach at sunset, so against his better judgment and burgeoning antisocial behavior he threw on a hoodie and jumped out his window to avoid alerting his parents to his absence. He didn't exactly need them to know he was leaving to meet a person who was leaving him notes in his locker at school and texting him without telling him their name. Poor life choices were the sort of things you jumped out of windows to make.

It was windy on the beach as he walked out on the sand and it didn't take long for him to spot the person he assumed he was meeting. Long white coat billowing in the wind and beanie strangely absent his platinum-blond hair, Seifer was standing barefoot in ankle-deep water. He didn't look cocky or taunting, face impassive as he stared out at the sun slowly sinking below the horizon. The wind had stolen a few strands of his hair and they moved wildly around his head with every gust.

"So you're the one who left notes in my locker and has been texting me the past few days? Why?"

He almost asked if it was some new way of bullying him, emotional destruction as well as physical, but he knew the other man better than that. Seifer didn't stoop that low, not even close really. Chances were better in favor of him wanting to seriously help than hurt.

"I've seen you walk with your dog along the beach every day for pretty much as long as I can remember, even when you were sick. When you didn't show up over the days you were gone from school I knew something was wrong, so I asked Pence about it. I'm sorry."

"So when you wrote the note about knowing how it felt you were talking about your parents…Now I feel stupid, Samson was just-"

"Don't say just a dog. Doesn't matter who you lost, they were important to you and it sucks no matter what."

A long silence followed his words as Hayner grappled with the idea that the orphaned man found his depression understandable and justified. Blinking, he turned to his rival and made a hasty decision.

"Since we're both already here, did you want to walk with me?"

He smiled brightly and turned to the smaller male, "Yeah, I'd love to."

Pulling off his shoes, he joined the muscular blond in a barefoot walk down the beach, the same route he'd always taken. And when he finally turned around to look behind him he saw two sets of footprints. It still hurt not to see the same two sets of indents in the sand as he was used to, but it was starting to feel right in a different way. He managed to catch a small secretive smile on the blue-eyed man's face before he looked away toward the sun to hide it and thought that maybe Seifer felt the same way.


	6. Fluffy Socks

So this, tragically, has so very little to do with the theme it should be criminal. But I kind of got the idea that an entire ficlet about nothing but socks would end up not as fun as it sounds. So instead you get this, enjoy~

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>006. Fluffy Socks<p>

"Stop judging me, my socks are completely legitimate," Hayner hissed at him following his disbelieving look toward his feet.

"You're twenty-one years old and have a dick, pretty sure you're not allowed to own fluffy socks."

"I'm pretty sure you can shut the fuck up Mr. I-think-I'm-a-badass-but-I-let-my-kitten-sleep-in-the-cereal-bowls-because-it's-cute. I don't need a mouthful of your cat every morning with my Cheerios but I tolerate it, so you're just going to have to tolerate my fluffy socks you footwear nazi."

He laughed at his roommate and shook his head, knowing the brown-eyed male had a point. Going back to making breakfast he smiled a little, honestly finding Hayner's footwear cute. Not that he'd say that out loud to anyone, he did have his pride. So maybe he had a years-long crush on his male roommate that he'd never discussed with anyone but Fuujin. It wasn't like he could bring it up when the lithe college student had a vaguely serious relationship with some bleach-blond vain nursing student he'd met in one of his classes and had shown no clear indication he was bisexual. It was slightly tragic really.

"I'm going out with Chelsea today and might be out late, so don't wait up for me," he explained as he grabbed the plate of eggs and bacon handed to him and wandered over to the living room.

"Got it. Try not to get too drunk, it may be Saturday but you have a lab practical on Monday you need to study for. Works better if you're not so hungover I can't even get you out of bed."

He scoffed and devoured his food as quickly as he could before going into his room to change into something more appropriate. He emerged with normal socks, grabbed his keys and walked out the door to meet his girlfriend. Sighing and sitting down to eat his own breakfast, he let his kitten claw his way up his shirt to perch on his shoulder, the tiny pinpricks of the creature's nails tickling more than anything else. Every once in a while he'd hand the kitten a tiny piece of bacon for it to eat, knowing he spoiled his pet. Letting the animal ride around on his shoulder for a bit while he cleaned up the clutter around the apartment a bit so it would stop pissing him off, he wondered just what fresh hell would await him when Hayner came home drunk tonight. Seifer still had yet to mention the time when the sandy-blond had returned to their shared apartment completely smashed and kissed him. If things continued as they were he never would either.

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><p>It was one in the morning when he got a call from his roommate, answering it after a few rings to act like he was asleep. He didn't need Hayner knowing he stayed up until the idiot came home just to make sure he didn't need a ride or something.<p>

"What's up, Hay?"

"This is Zack, from the Triangle club? Your roommate is completely hosed right now, some guy just tried to take advantage of him and I put him in the break room for safe keeping. You'd better pick him up. The bouncer is in a shitty mood, you should probably wear something nice if you want in without a fistfight."

"Thanks Zack, I'll be right over."

He hung up and got out of bed, wondering just what the fuck his supposedly straight friend was doing at the biggest gay club in the city. Seifer grabbed an outfit he'd actually worn there more than once to hook up with someone while his oblivious roommate was off on a date, threw it on, and made his way out to his car. Running a hand through his hair once he got there, he opted to just face down the man letting people in instead of trying to make nice with him. The man should have known him well enough by now; he only checked Seifer out _every single damn time_ he went into the club. Lo and behold the man gave him a once over and smirked before letting him through, dark eyes watching him pass. The blond couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Finding the bartender he'd befriended months prior and kept a decent rapport up with, he was led into the room behind the bar where they took breaks or kept unconscious customers and found his roommate there, sleeping on the couch. Shaking his head and lifting the smaller male into his arms he turned back to Zack, hoping for some kind of explanation.

"What happened, Zack?"

"I didn't catch him until about half an hour into it, Reno was serving him and heard him mention you, figured I should know. I started serving him to keep an eye on him and he mentioned breaking up with his girlfriend over…well I guess he can explain it better when he's sober. But he came to the club to get drunk, long story short. I had to walk away for a bit and when I came back some guy was trying to lead him out to his car. I managed to get him back, obviously, and that's when I called you."

"Thanks, would have had to kill someone if anything happened to him. Can I take him home, or does he still have a tab to pay?"

"I'll just put it on yours and you can pay me tomorrow, what are friends for, right?" The black-haired man said with a smirk, waving him off.

"I owe you Zack, see you tomorrow."

He got several strange looks as he made a beeline for the exit with his crush, quite a few people giving him dark smiles, whatever the hell that meant. Face hard, he walked out and headed toward his car, glaring at anyone who tried to make eye contact. Depositing Hayner in the passenger seat, he buckled him in and headed home.

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><p>Sitting on the couch, he lit another cigarette and took a drag off it. He very rarely smoked but right now he needed to. Stupid kid was going to be the death of him. It still didn't sit well that his roommate had almost been kidnapped, even if the other man's intent had been halfway decent he didn't doubt that Hayner would have regretted everything that might have transpired once he was sober, if he even remembered it. Blowing the smoke toward the ceiling, he sighed and glanced at the clock. It was eight in the morning now and he hadn't even slept yet. He was waiting until he get an explanation from his old rival about just what the fuck possessed him to go out and get drunk in a gay bar by himself, and to make sure the brown-eyed blond was emotionally stable enough to leave alone for a few hours.<p>

"Seif?"

He turned to the subject of his thoughts and let the half-smoked cigarette dangle from his lips, quirking an eyebrow. Definitely hungover, he looked like a tragedy, holding his head as he walked over gingerly. Fighting the urge to just turn away and give his idiot crush the cold shoulder, he answered.

"What the hell happened Hay? If it wasn't for Zack I have no idea where you'd be right now but I can pretty much guarantee it wouldn't be good."

"I, uh, broke up with Chelsea."

"You mean she broke up with you?"

"No, _I_ broke it off with _her_. She wasn't too happy about it either, I found out she's an utter bitch when she doesn't get what she wants. One thing led to another and I ended up drinking at the Triangle."

"So you break up with your girlfriend for god knows why and suddenly frequent gay bars? The hell Hayner, one bad relationship doesn't make someone gay."

"I've always been gay you asshole," he spat, dark eyes hard and angry.

Blinking rapidly in confusion, he stared at his companion, wondering why the hell he'd never known this. Or why someone who was gay would go out with a member of the opposite sex for two months.

"What the hell are you talking about, Hayner?"

"I tried going out with Chelsea because it was fucking impossible living with you and being in love with you and not being able to do a fucking thing about it and maybe if I had a girlfriend I could fucking get over you. You're the most unreadable human alive, sometimes I think you don't even feel attraction, but I know you hook up with guys while I'm out so _what the fuck_. Am I just not your type?"

"I'm too tired and you're too hungover to be having this conversation, so you should probably just come over and kiss me."

He looked uncertain, like he expected this to be some weird trick, maybe a remnant of their violent history with one another. After a second curiosity got the better of him and he crossed the distance and let the larger man yank him down for a rough kiss, full of the barely contained want of what was probably a combined decade. They ended up sprawled on the couch, Hayner managing to push him down hard enough that he couldn't flip them and kissing him like he was going to die if he didn't.

Eventually the need for sleep or a respite from the unfortunate outcome of a night of drinking outweighed their want to reconcile years of unresolved sexual tension and they relaxed on the couch. Hayner's head was pillowed on his chest and as he glanced down he saw that his roommate, scratch that, boyfriend was once again wearing those ridiculously adorable fluffy socks. Smiling, he rubbed the smaller blond's scalp and let his eyes fall closed, hoping Zack would forgive him for being a little late paying the bill.


	7. Courting

Weirdest interpretation of a prompt ever. Well. Yet. I'm sure I'll outdo myself. Also this ended up way, way too long. The prompt just got me in the mood and I went overboard, so enjoy it.

Theme provided by: Aomoa

Rating: Hard T for violence/blood.

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><p>007. Courting<p>

Glaring out over the ramparts, Hayner considered his options. He could just jump and kill himself, guaranteeing a trip straight to hell but shortening his suffering in this life, or return to the barracks and deal with another night of sleeping next to the greatest knight in the fucking Kingdom. Who he was tragically in love with. Who barely even noticed he was alive, much less felt anything for him.

"You won't die, you know," Roxas said, the shorter knight walking up next to him and looking down, "It's not high enough. You'd just be injured and have a hell of a time explaining it to our commander."

"Thanks, you're always so uplifting, Rox. Guess I shouldn't worry about it too much, with that little shit they call a Prince riding with us and telling Seifer what to do it probably won't take long for me to die anyway. Might as well wait for a death in battle."

They were both light-armor cavaliers, just as mobile on the ground as they were in the saddle, dealing more with swords than they did spears or poleaxes. Typically among the first units to get sent out, therefore the first units to be lost. They might have been several steps above soldiers, but they were still just pawns, especially the way the Prince enacted warfare. The call to arms sounded and they rolled their eyes in kind; apparently the royal wanted to start skirmishes across the land with the bandits to 'practice' his battle skills. More like kill people for the hell of it because he could. Shelving his personal opinion of the matter for the moment, he trotted after his best friend to the barracks.

* * *

><p>"I want someone to follow those men, make sure they don't escape. You," and the Prince pointed directly at Roxas, "Go after them so they don't warn their little army that we're coming."<p>

Seifer looked furious at the brat for suggesting such a thing, completely condemning a single knight to death. It would take a miracle for a single cavalier like Roxas to survive an ambush in the woods by at least six of the bandits.

Gritting his teeth, Hayner opted to make the worst decision possible and the only noble one, "Your majesty, my horse is faster than his. Might I volunteer in his stead, to ensure success?"

"Go ahead, but make it quick," the young teen responded flippantly, waving him off.

Whispering a goodbye to his best friend he tapped his roan horse into action before the blue-eyed blond teen could stop him. It didn't take long for him to hit the dense wood and he could tell just by the clear path laid out for him that this was a trap. Sighing heavily, he slowed the beast below him to a trot, waiting for an arrow or ax to fly at him and kill him. The waiting was getting to be irritating anyway.

Indeed he did get struck with an arrow, but it wasn't fatal, merely grazing his shoulder painfully. The men he was looking for appeared on all sides, the first attacker charging him from horseback with an axe. Sliding in the saddle to avoid the heavy weapon he countered with his sword, cutting the man's arm deeply enough to distract him before driving the blade into his chest with a slick finality. The rest of the fight blurred once he took a nasty wound to his side that spilled blood onto his pants, and eventually, his horse's heaving flank. At some point he had to dismount to continue fighting, the men lacking horses themselves attacking his helpless warhorse instead. As he crossed blades with the last man he took stock of his injuries, noticing blood oozing from his calf as well.

It took several minutes to finally gain the upper hand with the man, managing to disarm him momentarily. As he reached for his dagger Hayner plunged his sword into the bandit's belly, stifling a pained scream when the man stabbed him in the chest with his knife in response. Stumbling back, he let the man twitch as he lay dying, hand over the right side of his chest as he began to choke on his own blood. He collapsed next to his horse, too weak to pull himself into the saddle and realizing it was pointless anyway. All he'd really succeed in doing, even if Baye did carry him back to the knights, would be to save them the time of finding his body for proper rites. Coughing hard until he could sense blood mingling with the air and winding a trail down his chin and neck, he almost didn't hear the hoof beats of two horses approaching. Assuming they were just more bandits, he closed his eyes and let the world fade.

* * *

><p>Patience at its end, Seifer swore and called after Roxas to follow him, the minutes waiting for Hayner's unlikely return getting to him more than they should. He could hear that arrogant, foolish bitch of a royal yelling for him to return to ranks, but he ignored it. Anyone who would send a man of not even twenty to his death with an uncaring wave of his hand was not someone he could ever swear allegiance to. It probably didn't help his attitude that Hayner had been his bunkmate for the past half a year and the few whispered conversations they'd had during nights when he couldn't sleep proved to him that the brown-eyed blond was truly noble and kind in a way that was incredibly uncommon. That he'd selflessly sacrificed himself for his best friend in a split second was further evidence to that, and the idea that he was going to lose a knight like him to a snot-nosed kid was enough to break his will to serve his country. The King could reprimand him all he fucking wanted when they got back, right now he had to at least see if the teen was still alive.<p>

As they both came upon the scene of carnage the lithe knight had left in his wake they did a quick sweep to see if he was among the unmoving bodies. They found him instead leaned up against the strong legs of his horse, bleeding profusely and in the process of dying. Roxas dismounted and lifted him up by one arm, looking for all the world like he was about to murder someone.

"Hand him to me, Roxas. He might have a chance if we can get him to Aerith in time."

The High Priestess was the spiritual leader of their Kingdom and had the ability to perform miracles with magic, and was a gentle and pure soul beyond that. Her authority was equal to or perhaps greater than the King's but she never gave people orders or made material demands unless she honestly had to. She didn't owe him any favors, indeed quite the opposite as she'd healed him several times and even brought him back after death once, but hopefully she wouldn't mind if he showed up one more time. Gathering Hayner against him, he urged his mount forward and surged back out of the forest and into the castle town. He rode the horse right up the steps of the temple and into the central chamber. There were smaller, adjacent rooms where lower-level healers that could tend the sick and heal minor wounds attended the denizens of the town.

"Seifer Almasy, what are you doing making a mess of my Temple?" Aerith asked curiously, green eyes soft and worried.

"My comrade has been badly injured fighting for the Prince, I was hoping you could help him, Milady Aerith," he answered, swinging down with the dying man in his arms.

"Of course, set him down here and I'll see what I can do. You seem uninjured, what precisely happened?"

"The little prick tried to send his friend out alone against half a dozen bandits in the forest, he took the other knight's place. I went in after him against orders when I'd had enough."

She walked forward, massive white robes flowing out behind her airily as he set Hayner down on his back on top of the steps up to the cushioned throne. He stayed down on one knee, head bent, knowing he asked much more than he should from her. She was a holy woman, not his personal healer. Regardless of his demanding attitude, she gave him a fond smile and turned her bright eyes down to the bleeding teen between them.

"Oh, it's this one. I'm sure you've heard, but after you died fighting the assassins on the ramparts he fought them off and carried you to me. Are you two close? He seemed to care quite a bit."

"He…did that? I never knew. We're bunkmates but I wouldn't call us close."

"You should fix that, and that's an order young man."

He looked up at her oddly, wondering why she would require him to get closer to Hayner, but it wasn't like he didn't want to. The leader of the knights just never got a good read on the guy, most of the time he seemed to be avoiding him like he hated Seifer. But if he'd dragged the scarred blond's dead body hundreds of yards to her, maybe he did like his commander.

Before long the glowing green tendrils she summoned had healed his wounds and he was breathing normally again, deep and slow. Smiling slightly, he lifted the younger knight back into his arms and cradled him against his chest carefully. The brunette woman gave him a knowing look, and he suddenly felt awkward.

"Hayner should be just fine, take good care of him though. His wounds were severe, it'll take a few days for him to be able to do much of anything. In the meantime, I do believe I need to speak with the King on the matter of his son sending such a beautiful soul to a hopeless death. Have one of my guards run to summon him, say that it is urgent."

He set to the task immediately, his faithful steed following after him. Message relayed, he carried his charge down the steps to meet Roxas, who had waited outside. Entrance into the Temple was strictly for those summoned or those in need, whether it be physically or mentally. The spiky-haired man gave him an odd look as he carried Hayner out, but walked alongside him on their way back to the barracks anyway. He knew he'd face hell for his insubordination and might even be killed for it, but he'd managed to return a favor to the man he didn't even know he owed it to, and save his life in the meantime. It was worth it.

* * *

><p>He and Roxas were taking turns watching over the sleeping knight after the shorter blond changed his friend into less bloody clothes and stripped him of his armor. Dark lashes rested gently against tan cheeks as he slept, Seifer sitting on the edge of his bed. He could easily do a decent job of taking care of the sleeping soldier from his own bed a few feet above, but it didn't feel right. The commander preferred to watch him just to be sure. Besides, he knew how unsettling it was to wake up after nearly dying; he wouldn't make Hayner deal with that alone.<p>

Those long eyelashes fluttered briefly before he jerked upright, chest heaving in shock. Brown eyes looked around him quickly, registering confusion at his surroundings and companion. Giving him a small half-smile, he pushed the panicked teen back down.

"Just try to relax, okay? You almost died out there. Thanks, by the way."

He got a blank stare in return for his gratitude, but the cavalier surprised him by asking, "For what? And why did you save me, I thought the Prince-"

"Could give a fuck what the brat wanted, I wasn't about to just let you die. And, for rescuing me after those assassins killed me. I never knew who did that, why didn't you tell me?"

"Wasn't important," he mumbled, averting his eyes and blushing.

"Is to me. How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy, weak. Like you're facing discipline for saving me."

"Not that I'm aware of. It does take the King a while to get around to everyday dealings like disciplining his knights, so I guess we'll just have to wait and find out. If he was angry enough to kill me, pretty sure he'd have done it already."

"Let's hope anyway. Even if he did, he'd never defy the High Priestess, and I really doubt she'd let him execute a knight she's brought back from the brink so many times. Where is everyone by the way?"

"The others are out training. You've been asleep for a couple of days. Don't worry about getting behind, I'll be training you personally from now on."

"May I ask why? If this is out of some imagined obligation to be nice to me because I dragged you to the Temple-"

"Nothing like that. I just think you've proven that you're worth my time, so I want to spend more of it with you."

The blank look was back on his face, like he was considering the possibility that he was still asleep and dreaming. Or maybe he thought he'd died and was living through some sort of nonsensical afterlife. He really got the feeling his sudden need to know everything about the brown-eyed man was making him come off as exceptionally eager, probably throwing Hayner off balance since up till now Seifer had essentially only spoken to him a few times. Armed with the knowledge that no, the sandy-blond probably didn't hate him, he pressed on regardless. He liked the smaller knight, admired his tenacity and loyalty. If Aerith had wanted him to get closer to this man, it must have been incredibly important to both their lives.

"Well, thanks. I'd like that," he said haltingly, dark eyes searching the air frantically for the right words as he spoke.

"Try to get some more rest for now, I'll go grab Roxas to stay here in case you need something. I can't hear the sound of training out there so I think I need to kick a few asses."

He flashed the other a smirk as he exited the barracks, feeling intensely better now that the healed knight had finally woken up.

* * *

><p>A week later found them training in the mud, just the two of them. The rain was coming down hard and they'd been going at it for at least an hour. Chest heaving from exertion, Hayner charged his commander, sending them both flying into the soggy brown practice field. It only took a few seconds for the superior knight to reverse their position, strands of light blond hair dripping water into his face as he stared down. There was an odd fondness in his pale eyes that had been growing since they'd started spending more time together. Aerith sent for them on nearly a daily basis to do some menial task in their downtime, forcing them into strange situations with one another. Apparently the Prince wouldn't be commanding the knights for quite a long time after being condemned as a tactician by the High Priestess, and Seifer wasn't facing any kind of disciplinary actions for disobeying orders.<p>

"You alright, Hay? You seem distracted today."

"Nothing, just…I wonder if Aerith is going to summon us again. She has pretty much every day, you know? Can't help but feel like I should be training instead of acting out a play with you for her."

"She can be eccentric, but there's reason for everything she does. Besides, I find it hilarious that you have to play the woman."

"It's a romance, Seifer, not remotely amusing. I shouldn't have to suffer through you fake-courting me, it's just rude. You're also terrible at it, script or not."

Acting affronted, he scoffed and got up, offering his fellow a hand, "I guess I'll have to work harder at it then."

Trying to brush mud off his clothes, he rolled his eyes as the motions seemed to do nothing but reveal more of it beneath the outer crust. He was filthy. Suddenly it was clear why the commander didn't wear his billowing white coat to anything but a serious battle or when appearing before a superior. Speaking of which, a runner for the Priestess met them on the field, looking more than a little irritated at having to brave the rain to relay a message to them. They were to appear before Aerith again in an hour, likely to continue the play she'd written from where they had to leave off last time.

"Do you wonder why she's having the two of us act out her play, instead of any of the three dozen celebrated actors in the castle town alone?" He asked, following his leader inside toward the baths to clean up.

"A little, but whatever Aerith wants she gets, as far as I'm concerned. It's kind of fun to entertain her, if only to see how many times I can get you to change colors."

Blushing just from the implication that Seifer enjoyed it, he swore and shoved the older knight into the larger of the hot baths, face first. He really should have expected the other to spring back out of the water long enough to drag him in. Surfacing and coughing after being plunged into the hot water, he glared at his companion. The playful smirk on the blue-eyed man's face would have seemed out of place a week ago, but now he was almost expecting it to be there. Getting undressed while underwater proved exceptionally challenging, especially since he couldn't manage to avoid looking at the muscular swordsman because it was impossible to talk to someone and not make eye contact at some point. It was difficult not to dwell on the fact that they were both naked, alone, and keyed up from training.

Managing to make it through cleaning up without passing out from blood rushing to his face, he almost lost it when, after turning his back unconsciously to let Seifer get out of the bath in privacy, the man addressed him and he turned around on instinct. Immediately his eyes traced the path of an errant bead of water as it traveled down his chest and he could feel himself flushing. The towel wrapped around his waist was a saving grace.

"Good job with training, you're learning a lot faster than I expected," the scarred man said, quirking an eyebrow curiously at his expression.

"Thanks, I've got a good teacher," he responded lamely, wanting him to just leave already so he could collect himself.

Sighing a breath he didn't know he was holding once the other blond left, he pulled himself out of the bath and covered himself with a towel, using another one to dry his hair. No matter what he did it stuck up in wavy spikes, so he'd long ago just gone with it and stopped trying to slick it down. Dressing in his honor guard attire quickly, he snarled nastily at the whistles coming from outside the armory which was used as an unofficial changing room more often than not.

Stepping out, he almost ran into his acting partner, who smiled at him before leading him out of the building. The rain had let up for a bit and they were able to make it the short distance to the Temple without getting soaked. Once there Aerith set up the scene for them and let them read the script. It was void of stage direction other than how to speak their lines, her attendant was in charge of directing their actual actions. The wisp of a girl had a strange glint in her eyes, he got the feeling she was incredibly mischievous when she wasn't being watched.

"The Lady Madeline and her escort begin to dance along with the other couples at the ball," Yuffie said with a smirk that made him question whether that was actually what it said or not, but Aerith didn't react, so he had to assume it was.

Blushing furiously, he let the taller man place a hand at his lower back and put his hand in Seifer's. This was getting ridiculous. Of course he knew how to dance formally; he had to learn in the event they had to entertain foreign nobles, but that wasn't the difficulty. It was that he was currently being lead like a woman by the man he was in love with that was getting on his nerves. Seifer hardly seemed to notice, going over his lines with ease and smiling slightly as they danced.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" The man with ice-colored eyes asked him, in-character.

"I must admit that I am, but if it were not for you I would be miserable."

"Would you like to get some air?"

"Very much so," he returned, always surprised when he remembered his damn lines in the face of that focused gaze.

They mimed stepping out of the ballroom and onto a balcony, where they broke apart and put some blessed space between them so he could breathe again. They exchanged small talk for a few moments and he was just beginning to relax when he heard Yuffie shout another direction and immediately froze. Did she just say…?

Before he had the time to ask after her orders the head of the knights' hand brushed along his jawline and lips sealed his gently. All coherent thought fled his mind as he stared uncomprehendingly into warmed blue eyes. Surely Seifer understood what a stage kiss was, there was no actual need for this to be happening unless he wanted it to be. Leaning into it, he rested his hand over the larger male's heart and let his eyes fall closed. A tongue slipped past his lips and that was precisely when he understood that this had absolutely nothing to do with the stupid play. When they finally broke apart the platinum blond had a wide, warm smile he'd never seen before on his face.

"Am I doing an acceptable job of courting you yet?"

"Getting better at it," Hayner replied, smiling back, "But you still need a lot more practice."

* * *

><p>(Should be shot)<p>

Aerith = Writes ridiculous plays just so she can watch her favorite slash pairing reenact them. Obviously. Who the fuck wouldn't, really.

For those who are interested, the next prompts are: Rivals, Belief, Dare, Pride, Enough. From there the order is adjustable. Thanks for all the reviews guys!


	8. Rivals

Theme might sound a bit odd, but the reviewer wanted a fic where Snow tried to steal Hayner, and I needed a clever single-word prompt title for that. Thus.

Theme provided by: Mylaervain

Rating: T

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><p>008. Rivals<p>

The eye color was the first thing Hayner noticed; the other guy's eyes were too dark, a bland normal shade of blue instead of silvery-blue like he was used to. As he took another swig of his beer he catalogued the other differences for lack of anything else to do. The man's hair was far too long, it should have been cropped close enough to his head that it could only be seen in a face places under his black skullcap but instead blond strands stuck out a good inch. There was the faint stubble of facial hair where his face should have been smooth and the brown-eyed man wasn't sure what he thought about that. There was also that spot between his eyes where there should have been a deep, straight scar that was way more attractive than it had any right to be. The smirk was where he gave up even trying to compare, because really? It was like looking at a copy of the Last Supper that had been done on a piece of computer paper. Sad and pathetic if you knew the original.

Staring down at his beer, Hayner decided that Snow was absolutely nothing like Seifer. Which, maybe that was a good thing. Or maybe he was a little drunk after having a fight with his boyfriend who might not even be his boyfriend anymore. This would definitely tip the scales, if the glances Snow kept sending his way meant what he thought they did. He didn't plan on cheating on his maybe-not-boyfriend, but he was dressed like a free agent and getting drunk in a club like someone who'd just had a bad breakup, so just because he didn't plan on it didn't mean it wouldn't happen if he got hosed enough. Honestly it would be Seifer's fault if anything happened that ruined their possibly-already-ended relationship because he did totally throw Hayner out of their apartment with a bag of his clothes and told him to get lost. Normally this meant 'get out of my way because I'm pissed and I don't want to hurt you', but for whatever reason this time it felt different. They hadn't fought in like three months and it seemed like every minor irritation had built up and exploded all at once tonight. By this time the older man should have called him to at least check on him, but he hadn't. If Seifer didn't care then he guessed he shouldn't either.

"Hey, you alright?" The wrong blond man in a long coat asked, leaning against the bar.

"Yeah, I'm fine. What brings you here tonight?" He asked, knowing it was an obvious question but certain aspects of small talk were necessary in this setting.

"Just looking to have a good time. You here with Seifer?"

"Nope, on my own."

Smirking, Snow sat down on the bar stool next to him and ordered them each another beer, prompting Hayner to down the last of the one he had. It was his sixth and he knew he really, really shouldn't drink any more. If he got any more gone he might honestly go home with this imposter and not only would that be pretty much a death nail in his relationship with Seifer, but also a lowering of his standards. Even if he was single he'd never sleep with the unkempt man beside him sober, he wasn't anything close to Hayner's type. Now if he did, it would be because he was drunk and angry at his boyfriend and kind of a vindictive bitch when someone completely disregarded him. It was an art really, being spiteful.

"You wanna go outside? It's hard to hear," Snow asked him after another beer and round of small talk had passed.

It was a flimsy excuse but he didn't expect this guy to be the smooth romantic he'd left at home because no one else was, "Yeah, sure."

Downing his eighth beer, he paid for the first six and followed the larger man out the back into an alley. He stumbled a bit, unused to having to walk when he was tipsy. Usually if they were drinking Seifer would only have one or two and be sober enough to carry him after he'd had too many to walk quite right. It was tragic how codependent they were, and that he was only just realizing this right now. Checking his phone, it still had service and no messages for him, so fuck his boyfriend very much.

"You smoke Snow? If so, can I bum one off you?"

"Yeah, no problem. So what's up with you and Seif? Aren't you two like, attached?" He asked as he handed over a cigarette and lit it for him.

Chuckling, he wondered just how this guy ever got laid if he was honestly this awkward around people he wanted to have sex with. Taking a drag, he thought about his answer. Smoking wasn't something he made a habit of, he did it on the rare occasion that he was incredibly stressed and Seifer wasn't around to help him deal with it. Coughing slightly, he realized it was a good month since the last time he'd had one.

"Not so much tonight. He might have dumped me, it's sort of early to tell. Way I see it, fight was half his fault and he kicked me out, so he's gotta say he's sorry first unless he really does want this thing to end and then he needs to fucking tell me so I can deck him."

"So are you single, or aren't you? You're certainly dressed like someone who's looking," the elder blond said, hand moving to rest on the thin patch of skin left uncovered by a too-short shirt and low-slung pants.

He was so very much not drunk enough for this.

"I'm really not into this right now so, I'm going to go with no to the single question because even if I was, I'm not two beers in a club easy," he said, annoyed as he shoved away the offending appendage and let his cigarette butt fall to the ground.

Hayner got the distinct sense that Snow had had way more to drink than he acted like when he was shoved into the brick wall and kissed sloppily, tasting a lot more than beer in his mouth. It seemed like anger wasn't one of the emotions that was stunted by alcohol as he pushed the brute off him and kicked him hard in the groin. He didn't respond particularly well to that approach from anyone other than his boyfriend, and even then he was bitchy about it. Stumbling a bit as he walked away and wiped off his mouth, he didn't expect the blue-eyed man to catch up to him, grabbing him by the shirt collar and pulling him back. It was one of those moments in his life when he realized his questionable life choices were coming back to bite him in the ass because he was probably going to get a black eye for his reticence. He was being a bit of a dick, come to think of it.

The hand on his collar was wrenched away and he could hear the sound of a fist hitting flesh as he turned around. If he was any more drunk he'd be certain he was seeing double, but as it was he was shocked to find Seifer holding Snow by the front of his coat, pulling back for another punch. The man with longer hair was already bleeding from a split lip as he was knocked to the ground from a blow that broke his nose.

"Don't ever touch my boyfriend, you fucking creep."

Snow glared at him as he got back to his feet but didn't say anything, just turning to leave and walking off. The remaining blue-eyed man walked up to him, arms crossed and a questioning look on his face. If he honestly expected an explanation before he apologized he didn't know his boyfriend _at all_.

"Look, I'm sorry for kicking you out and not calling you. What exactly happened there with Snow, are you alright? I only caught the last half."

"Wait, you were there for that? I didn't-"

"I know you didn't kiss him, I'm not an idiot. Doesn't really take a genius to figure out you didn't want to when you said no and then kicked the guy in the nuts. Nice, by the way. So, you're okay?"

"No, I'm furious with you. It's been six fucking hours, you couldn't even check on me?"

"I said I was sorry, but honestly you don't need me to track your every move, do you? I'm not your mother, I trust you to be able to handle yourself for a few hours. I know you, I knew you'd stop by Roxas's house and then probably go somewhere to drink, just like you always do when we fight. Just because I decided to come out to get you myself instead of calling doesn't mean I don't care."

"You're just lucky I'm predictable. So are you going to take me home, or what?" He asked impatiently, running a hand through his hair.

"I always do, don't I? Love you, Hay. Stupid little fights aren't going to change that, even if you do let a guy that looks like me buy you drinks."

"Love you too, Seif."

It was little surprise when the larger man picked him up and carried him to the car, it was practically standard operating procedure for them. Tomorrow they'd both go over to Roxas's to pick up his bag, Seifer would have to go through the smaller blond bitching at him to treat his friend better, then they'd go home and sleep cuddled together, just like always. It would be nice if they could skip the fighting part, but nothing was ever perfect, much less the two of them. Thinking about it, he sort of liked it that way.


	9. Belief

(vomits cute)

Theme provided by: KatrinaEagle

Rating: G

* * *

><p>009. Belief<p>

Running after Roxas as they played in the park, Hayner thought about the story the other boy's mom had read them just half an hour ago before lunch. Even though he was seven and Roxas was six and three quarters, he decided to let the age difference slide and allow the blue-eyed kid into his circle of friends. Which at the moment only included the two of them, but he expected that to change as soon as school got back in session. Last year wasn't that great, but he was angry most of the time and the other kids were afraid of him.

"Hey Roxas, do you think people really fall in love for real like the Princess in the story?" He asked, climbing alongside the smaller boy on the jungle gym.

"My mom and dad say they love each other every day, so probably."

"I don't think so. Not for real."

"But why would adults lie to each other about something like that and call it true love?"

"I don't know, but my dad said he loved my mom and then he left, so he must have been lying."

Roxas's eyebrows furrowed in thought as they sat on top of the playground structure, clearly confused. Shrugging, he apparently decided the intricacies of adult romantic relationships were too much for him. Must be the age difference, he just wasn't mature enough. Hayner didn't think he believed in love. If his father had loved his mom and him as much as he said, he wouldn't have left them. Mom said he wasn't coming back, so it wasn't like he was on a quest to slay a dragon to protect them or anything, because the knight always came back to his princess. That was just how it worked.

Another boy arrived at the park, a scar across his face that made Hayner think of the knight from the story they'd just sat through. He looked to be older than them, and the brown-eyed boy was immediately interested in learning more about him. Namine was with him, and he held her hand as they walked onto the playground. The blonde girl was incredibly shy, so he didn't know why she would let him get close enough to hold her hand. Maybe they were related. She waved at them slightly and they climbed down to meet her.

"Hayner, Roxas, this is my cousin, Seifer," she said, struggling with the word 'cousin', "He's gonna be staying here."

"Nice to meet you," Seifer said like he'd practiced it, glancing sideways at the small girl as if seeking approval.

"Nice to meet you too, Seifer," Hayner answered, while Roxas looked at him suspiciously before finally offering a greeting.

"Hey, do you guys believe in true love?" He asked, suddenly remembering his earlier dilemma.

"Yeah, of course," Seifer answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world, and Namine nodded.

"Well I don't, I think it's just something adults make up."

Seifer quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly, which was honestly completely cool-looking when he did it, and the small blonde covered her mouth in horror like it was a personal tragedy. The moment passed and the trio of younger kids went off to play with each other, the elder apparently happy just sitting on top of the jungle gym and watching them. Hayner could feel his eyes on him the vast majority of the time, but he was sticking with his answer, even if an older kid disagreed. Just because someone was older didn't mean they were right, even if they were an adult.

* * *

><p>"Hey Hayner, do you still not believe in love?" The bully asked him a short decade later, having cornered him in one of the plethora of alleys that could be found in Twilight Town.<p>

"Do you seriously remember that? I dunno, maybe? Why the hell do you ask?"

"Because my answer hasn't changed, but I think I could change yours."

The lips that cover his are completely and utterly unexpected and it takes him a moment to reciprocate. So maybe he had been in love with Seifer, doesn't mean he really believed in love, because it was a two way street. Unrequited didn't count in the original question.

"So if I say I love you, what's your response?" The pale-eyed man asked once he pulled away.

"I love you too."

He guess he'd just have to see if they lasted forever to finalize his answer on the subject.


	10. Dare

I took the obvious way out with this theme because it was too much fun. So sue me.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T, features underage drinking

* * *

><p>010. Dare<p>

"Hey Seifer!" A half-drunk brunette addressed him, solo cup almost slopping over onto his jeans as she walked over.

He had come with Fuu and Rai to a party thrown by Axel for several college students and the rare high schooler that was deemed cool enough to mix with them. Which was mostly an excuse for the pyromaniac to invite his boyfriend and all his friends then get them drunk. It provided an excellent opportunity for Seifer to see Hayner again after two months apart since he'd graduated. As far as he could tell, either the younger man hadn't noticed that Seifer was here, or he was pointedly ignoring it. Fuujin and Raijin had long ago abandoned him, disappearing somewhere amid the crowd.

"What do you want?" He returned evenly, already finding the girl's presence annoying.

"We're playing Hit-and-Run Truth or Dare, so, truth or dare?" She ended lamely, like she forgot what else she was going to say.

He rolled his eyes, anyone who even knew _of_ him should be able to figure out his answer, "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss your crush, or whoever you like the most at the party if you don't have one."

Looking at her questioningly, he could tell she expected it to be her. Now that he was paying attention she looked vaguely familiar, and he finally placed her as the chick that had been hitting on him for the past month to no avail. Her name started with an R, he was pretty sure, but beyond that he didn't remember and didn't care to ask. His thoughts were already on a certain brown-eyed blond that was laughing with his friends in the kitchen just thirty feet away. A dare was as good an excuse as any.

"Hope you like a show," he replied to her, turning on his heel and smirking.

He didn't doubt this would leave him with a split lip for the trouble, but he could always hope the alcohol had lessened the teen's reaction time enough that he could avoid any more serious injuries. The party was at Axel's parents' house, so maybe he shouldn't be stirring up this much trouble in a community likely opposed to two people beating the shit out of each other on the lawn. Then again, the redhead sympathized with him and he was the sort of person who'd do just about anything they were dared to, so fuck it.

"Hayner," he greeted easily, walking up to the seventeen year-old and watching his friends part in front of him.

His blond brows drew down dangerously as he handed his cup to Olette, "The fuck-"

Ignoring his incessant need to talk, he grabbed Hayner by the front of his shirt and jerked him forward into the kiss. Instead of reacting immediately, the senior froze, eyes wide. When his pupils dilated it was impossible to tell if it was because of arousal, anger, or both. Pulling back and throwing him a smile, Seifer walked away before he could regain his senses enough to do something violent.

He escaped outside after snagging another beer, feeling rather pleased with himself. It was a flawless execution of a convenient dare, definitely a night of drinking well spent. Sipping his drink, he found a dark corner of the yard and sat down against the fence, stretching his legs and relaxing. Hayner would find him eventually if he felt like hunting the bully down; kid seemed to have a built-in homing beacon for Seifer and it was scary accurate. If he didn't they'd probably meet again, either in the Sandlot or at another party. For some reason the younger blond had been avoiding the lot in favor of just about any other way to get places in Twilight Town, which the scarred man didn't quite get. If he didn't want a fight he could just fucking say so, it wasn't like Seifer was unreasonable or even truly mean. Downing the last of his cup, he looked up at the stars, frowning slightly. He almost didn't notice the lithe figure approaching him.

"Hey Seifer, truth or dare?"

"You really need to ask?" The arrogant man answered coolly, wondering where this was going.

"I dare you to finish what you started, asshole."

Before he quite understood what was happening the sandy-blond teen was in his lap and holding him by the collar, kissing him like he expected the older man to flee. Grinning, he threaded a hand through Hayner's hair and did as he was told. He never backed down from a dare, after all.


	11. Pride

Short, musing one again.

Theme provided by: Kioko Yasu

Rating: T

* * *

><p>011. Pride<p>

A lot of people respected Seifer for his pride. Hayner had to admit the guy was pretty fucking arrogant, his only saving grace was the abilities and passion to back the negative trait up. Well-founded egotism was apparently sexy, if the girls who gossiped about the fighter were anything to go on, and the brown-eyed teen couldn't really argue with that. Pride, however deadly a sin it may be, came in more than one form though, some more recognizable than others. Seifer's kind of pride, the flashy, exceptional kind was the most obvious. Everyone knew about it; it was impossible not to know it because it was practically shoved in your face.

Hayner's kind of pride was one of the quieter ones, so much so most people didn't even realize he was prideful. His friends knew, and Seifer knew, but no one else could see it. It was the kind that made him get up again no matter how many times he was knocked down, physically or emotionally. That forced him to hold his head up defiantly against other fighters even when he was close to vomiting from the pain of a broken bone. That nagged at him for weakness the few times he seriously contemplated suicide, and by extension prevented him from mentioning those episodes to anyone else until much later. A pride that let him brush off homophobic slurs thrown carelessly at him like punches in a bar fight, because he knew he was honestly a better person than all of them.

It didn't, however, make him bulletproof. That was the thing about the deadly sins, as hyped as they were by religion, most of them really will kill you if you're not careful about it. His pride was what had him in the hospital at the moment, with nothing short of six broken bones after his hilariously bad luck landed him in the middle of a gang fight between the Twilight Disciplinary Committee and another group. He'd been too arrogant to take off and had ended up fighting as well. Hayner wasn't the fighter Seifer was, he wasn't exactly weak but he didn't kick the shit out of people on a near-daily basis either, so he was far worse off than the scarred blond that had been released yesterday. The jackass hadn't even visited him.

The last day before he was released from the hospital he woke to flowers on the table beside him, brightly-colored lilies. They were his favorite flower, but he didn't remember ever mentioning that to anyone. Pulling the small card out of them, he smiled slightly when he read the message and the signed initials. Maybe it wasn't impossible to be humble once in a while.

'_Thanks. S.A.'_


	12. Enough

Full theme was "just drunk enough". Slightly different dynamic between the two this time.

Theme provided by: the oompa loompa's are evil

Rating: T

* * *

><p>012. Enough<p>

There was a big difference between being too drunk, and just drunk enough. Seifer understood this, after far too many mornings waking up in a strange place with no recollection of the night before and half a dozen voicemails on his phone from his friends. That was definitely a case of too drunk. He'd gotten smarter about it, and tonight, as the bass thrummed up through the floor, he was quite certain he was precisely drunk enough to enjoy himself. That is, until he noticed a familiar figure in the crowd. No amount of alcohol could possibly be enough to dull his senses to the point where he wasn't absurdly turned on by watching Hayner dance. If he didn't go over there and do something about it he would certainly end up an alcoholic, so it was in his best interests.

To his surprise, Hayner also seemed drunk enough to let him dance alongside the younger man. Either that, or he'd always harbored the want to have Seifer's hands on him and he just never mentioned that. The drunk theory was a lot less obnoxious, the scarred man thought to himself as he slipped his hands under the lithe blond's black tank top. Even in the darkness lit by brief flashes of neon colors he could see the pupils in those pretty brown eyes expanding. Before long the smaller man was leading him by the hand into a dark corner so he could shove him against the wall hard enough to be painful. With him it was always hard to tell if he was angry or not; Hayner had always been an oddly aggressive person given his slight figure, even if he was a lot taller now.

"What exactly do you want, Seifer?" He hisses, and it's harsh but doesn't have that black undercurrent of rage he's so used to.

"Well if we're being honest all of a sudden I want to date you, but failing that I think I've made it pretty obvious I want to have sex with you."

Dark lashes fluttered rapidly in confusion as the other took this in, mouth creasing into a suspicious frown. He's still pressing the scarred blond into the wall, body warm against his, and it's distracting as hell. The need to touch him, kiss him, do something was almost insurmountable, but he wasn't drunk enough to think this was the time to do that sort of thing.

"If all I ever needed to do was get you drunk to make you ask me out, I would have done so a long time ago. You're going to take me home, we're not going to have sex, and tomorrow you're taking me out to dinner. Understand?" He said finally, quirking one sandy-blond eyebrow interrogatively.

"Are you always this bossy in a relationship, or just when you've been drinking? I like it."

"The former, so you'd damn well better keep liking it. Come on, we're taking a taxi home because you're just drunk enough for me not to trust you to drive."

"Chickadee, do me a favor? Shut the fuck up for a moment," he snaps finally, leaning forward to kiss him just to make sure he follows the suggestion.

He can instantly taste the alcohol that the other male has been consuming; apparently he has a thing for strawberry vodka which is pretty much gayer than making out with another guy in a gay club. Under that is the sharp bite of something harder, though he's not a big liquor drinker so he can't tell what it is. Seifer can faintly detect something smoother, like honey but not as sweet, and he has to guess that's what his rival normally tastes like when he's not drunk. It's a good hypothesis but it'll need more data to back it up, and he was way too sober if he's thinking about this.

Instead of letting his mind run away from him he grabs Hayner's hand and takes his turn leading the brown-eyed man through the crowd toward the exit. As he carries the other up the stairs to his apartment after Hayner fell asleep in the car, he wonders just what the hell tomorrow is going to be like.

* * *

><p>He woke up with a moderate hangover, finding his bed strangely warm and his pillow larger than he remembered it. Then he opened his eyes and remembered that he went home with Seifer after dancing with and kissing him. And is currently curled into him, head on his broad chest. Blushing slightly, he moved to sit up and watch the older blond for a bit. He's never gotten to see Seifer when he doesn't have a mask on; even last night when he was vaguely intoxicated he barely let it slip. When he doesn't have a scowl or a smirk on his face he's actually beautiful in a brutal way, which is an odd adjective for a guy but it's true. Not that he wasn't attractive normally, because of course he was, but it was more of a dominant, sex-charged kind of appeal. Not the graceful, quiet kind of gorgeous he exhibited when he didn't know anyone was looking. Maybe this was what nature photographers felt like when they finally got to see the secret behavior of whatever they've been watching for years.<p>

Just as he expected, Seifer's the kind of person who doesn't wake up slowly, it's a sudden thing, complete with a gasp that sounds half-afraid. Poor guy probably suffered from nightmares on a nightly basis. Life as an infamous badass wasn't nearly as easy as people made it out to be, he could tell just by the scars he can see in the late morning light.

"Morning, you alright, Seif?"

"'M fine. You?" He mumbled, sitting up and running a hand through his hair.

"Fantastic. Do you remember last night, or no?"

"Of course I remember it, I really didn't have that much to drink."

"So you were just drunk enough to finally break down and hit on me in a way that wasn't violent? You're mean, by the way, making me wait this long."

"You know it's socially acceptable for the bottom in the relationship to ask out the top, right? We're not in the nineteenth century."

"Thank the gods, we'd be stoned and not in the recreational way. But seriously, I was not going to throw myself at you like a desperate coed. There's something to be said about making the other person want you."

He rolls his pale blue eyes, doing a pretty good impression of annoyed, but it falls short of what Hayner knows is his annoyed face. Seifer smiled at him before pressing him down into the mattress, tongue licking his mouth open with a practiced ease. Tangling his fingers in platinum blond hair he pulled roughly, prompting the older man to bite his lip in retaliation. They were both stripped down to their underwear and the skin-to-skin contact was beginning to get to be a problem.

"You're going to be that boyfriend that doesn't put out till the third date, aren't you?" The scarred blond asked once he finally pulled away to breathe.

"I think that's the general rule, Seifer. And no, last night doesn't count as one, because I know you're going to ask."

"Such a bitch."

"But you love it, obviously. Now shut up and make me breakfast."

He got out of bed, flipping Hayner off in a vain attempt to act like he wasn't following directions. The brown-eyed blond had always been the only one who could control the bully, and judging by the failed attempts by all the girlfriends and boyfriends before, it was going to stay that way. Neither of them particularly minded, and maybe that was the most telling.


	13. Duct Tape

**Please read:** This is unrepentant smut. Don't read if you're not into two guys fucking.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: Hard M for smut/inappropriately sexy use of duct tape.

* * *

><p>013. Duct Tape<p>

"Why the hell did you pack duct tape, Hayner?"

"Because you can do just about anything with it except fix duct. Kind of ironic, isn't it? Thousands of uses except for the one it's named for."

Smirking, Seifer could think of a few creative uses for it already, all of them way more inappropriate than fixing duct work. They were sharing a room in the graduate student lodging section of a small university outpost on an island over twenty miles from anything but water. Roxas and Axel had the room on the other side of the apartment, and they also had a kitchen, bathroom and a living room. It was pretty awesome considering they weren't graduate students at all, just the biology professor's favorites. It was particularly nice because unlike the other living quarters that was similar to a barracks with open areas and bunk beds, they had privacy from the other students. Which meant, by extension, that Seifer could do completely non-academic things with his boyfriend and no one would be the wiser about it.

"You've got that look on your face again. Can you at least wait until we're unpacked before undressing me with your eyes?"

"No, of course not, and you'd be offended if I could."

Shaking his head and sighing, the smaller man gave up on the argument since he was clearly going to lose. They finished unpacking and headed across the short path to the main building to grab some food, all four of them too lazy to want to cook something. Axel would probably just set something on fire if they let him near the stove anyway. Their peers weren't subtle with their jealous glaring, but a return look from him scared them back to their food. There were certain advantages to being a badass. Once they were back to their apartment, they played Go Fish for three hours like the sophisticated, top of their class college students they were. In their defense, there were several fishing methods discussed at length, along with the primary species affected by them. At midnight, after they'd been awake and traveling for almost eighteen hours, they finally decided to turn in. Or at least head to their bedrooms and act like they were going to sleep.

"Seifer," Hayner whined, extending the vowels just to be irritating when the older blond pinned him to the wall and bit his neck.

"Don't make me tape your mouth shut too," he growled, mouth moving to nibble at the tan blond's earlobe.

"You wouldn't; tape on skin really hurts you know."

"Are you speaking from experience?"

Dark eyes refuse to meet his coyly as he pulls away to look at his partner, fully aware Hayner had relationships before they finally got over themselves enough to get together last year. It would be a bit weird if, at the age of twenty-one, a guy hadn't had sex yet, gay or not. The smaller man likes to toy with him, so whether he is or isn't speaking from experience is hard to tell. Either way, he's definitely going to avoid getting adhesive on his boyfriend because he'd had enough bandages in his life to know how much it hurts to get them off. He had to imagine duct tape would be ten times worse.

Shoving the lithe man onto his bed, he smirked down at him devilishly, knowing damn well their roommates and whoever was in the apartment next to them would probably hear them. His boyfriend's eyes watched him curiously, seemingly wondering when he was actually going to start doing something. Pulling off the sandy-blond man's shirt, he tossed it to the side and leaned down to bite at an exposed nipple. The resulting noise was plenty to get him fully hard, not to mention the way the slighter man arched into him.

"Damn you're hot," he muttered as he kissed his way down the expanse of his boyfriend's abdomen.

A hand curled in his hair and pulled impatiently at it, and he decided it was probably time to restrain his bossy boyfriend before he got any ideas. They weren't huge into bondage, but when the opportunity presented itself there wasn't anything wrong with tying his partner to the bed and fucking him senseless. Grabbing the duct tape off the nightstand, he couldn't help but smirk as he wrapped it, sticky side out, around Hayner's wrists after crossing them. He then used it to tie him to the metal wire headboard. Using his distraction to his advantage the smaller of the two bit him on the muscle between his neck and shoulder, hard enough to make him swear, turning quickly into a groan.

Tugging his own shirt over his head, he moved back down between the other student's legs, rocking down on him roughly. Hayner hissed at the contact and bucked back up into him, the friction a cruel, fleeting tease. He really, really wanted to just tear off their clothes and fuck him, but he was a considerate lover and it was incredibly important to him that his partner got off first. Stripping him of his pants, he grasped the younger's member firmly, sweeping his thumb over the head. Dark lashes pressed against tan cheeks as he squeezed his eyes shut against the sensation, making a tiny whimpering sound. He was particularly attractive like this, flushed and panting and wanting.

"I love you," he whispered, voice deeper than normal.

"Love you too, Seif."

He slipped his lips around the head of his dick, tongue swirling as he moved down the shaft before coming back up to tongue the slit. The moan that tears through his boyfriend is a sound he's never going to get bored of. Sucking hard, he can't help but grin at the little noises he makes when Seifer gives him head. It's one of his more favorite things to do, sexually, and he'd been known to just shove Hayner against the wall and suck him off whenever they're alone for a few seconds. Before long he pulls off and moves over to open the drawer, grabbing a condom and a bottle of lube out from where he'd placed it earlier today. He definitely had his priorities in order in terms of unpacking.

Mouth back on his boyfriend's cock, he coated his fingers in lube and pressed one into him, listening to the way his breath hitched perfectly. There really wasn't anything about his companion that didn't turn him on. By the time he had two fingers inside the thin blond's ass he could tell it wouldn't take much more to make him come. Crooking his fingers with practiced accuracy, he felt the way Hayner's body tensed just prior to orgasm, the next moan more similar to a scream. Swallowing the warm, salty liquid, his mouth twisted into a grin as inserted a third finger.

"Goddamn it, Seifer, just fuck me already."

Not needing to be told twice on issues like this, he pulled his pants off and rolled the condom on, rubbing lube over it. They'd done this at least a hundred times, but some things just shouldn't be risked. Seriously hurting his boyfriend was at the top of that list. Sucking a mark into his neck, he pushes into the other, reveling in the hot, tight heat around him. Groaning, he pulled out and thrust back in, knowing just from the other's body language when he was ready. His movements were shallow and slow, intentionally designed to make his boyfriend impatient. He wasn't sadistic, but he did like to hear Hayner beg and threaten.

"I'm going to do lasting damage to you if you don't fuck me harder, tied up or not," the brown-eyed man said heatedly, voice an octave lower than usual, slightly hoarse with arousal.

Smirking and pushing his leg up to get a better angle, he slammed into his boyfriend with enough force to make him moan, head thrown back. Bending down to lick at the sweat beginning to form on the tan student's body, he took the time to notice the way the taut skin beneath his tongue quivered. Adjusting his angle a bit, he thrust hard, grinning when he rubs the small bundle of nerves that makes Hayner shout every time. Sweat had slicked several strands of dark blond hair against his forehead and neck and his eyes were smouldering, the faint brown rings around black pupils looking much like embers in the light from the lamp beside them. His lips were reddened from biting them, a habit Seifer found too much of a turn on to try and break him of. He was beautiful, and the older blond marveled at it for a moment as he kissed the salty skin.

It was easy to fall into a hard rhythm, the slick friction and constant feedback from his vocal partner driving him halfway insane. Moving up to bite deep into the other's neck, he enjoyed the gasp it elicited, grinding harder into the tight heat that tensed around him. Lapping at the skin, he could faintly taste copper from where his teeth had broken the skin; Hayner would have some interesting bruises on his neck tomorrow. Sheathing himself in the warm body beneath him, he waited, feeling the way the muscles clenched at him, pressure changing with every passing second he let the other grow more edgy. At a growl from the smaller man, he pulled out and pushed himself in suddenly at just the right angle to make his partner yell a four letter word, eyes rolling back in his head. A few deep strokes into him later and Seifer was orgasming with a violent grunt, panting shallowly as his dick twitched inside his lover.

"Fuck," he said once he could think again, pulling out slowly before removing the condom and tying it off, tossing it in the trash by the door.

"That…was pretty hot. Hate you so much for dragging that out…you drive me insane when you do that, and you fucking know it. Untie me," Hayner stated haltingly, finding breathing difficult as well.

"Why? I figure I can just leave you like this until morning and save myself the time to do it again. The only way I can wake you up without pissing you off is by fucking you hard enough you forget that you were mad."

A half-hearted groan follows his words, like his lover can't decide whether the idea is awesome or terrible. Despite his words, Seifer grabs one of his pocket knives out of the drawer and sets to cutting off the tape, no other good way to remove it. Once free, Hayner rubs his wrists a bit and rolled his shoulders against the tension that had developed there. Other than the bite marks on his neck he's not much worse for wear, sighing and getting out of bed to sleep in his. The scarred blond moved with him, and they curled up together easily, the larger holding him close. With some lazy words of endearment, they bid each other goodnight, knowing that Axel and Roxas were going to bitch them out in the morning. In Seifer's opinion, it was totally worth it.


	14. Trapped

This is very much darkly mature material. Probably nothing like the prompter expected/wanted, but hopefully they'll still like it.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: M for disturbing violence and general psychotic motivations.

* * *

><p>014. Trapped<p>

It was getting to be funny how terrible his luck was this week. He probably would have laughed if there wasn't a blade digging into his throat and six guns pointed at his head. Even so the need to was almost overpowering as he was dragged toward a tragically cliché panel van. Eric had betrayed him, luring him into an alley between storage warehouses on the wharf in order to jump him. He'd joined with the very group Hayner and Seifer were working on taking out right now which just spoke of bad taste beyond the disgusting lack of faithfulness Eric had to the organization. The cloth over his mouth as he was pulled into the vehicle was hardly a surprise. As Hayner faded out he managed to land a kick to the face of the man in front of him and chuckled under his breath.

* * *

><p>Looking at his watch, he frowned deeply and looked back through his scope at the compound. His partner was never late and should have been here ten minutes ago, unless something has happened during his meeting with Eric. A van caught his attention, passing the gate and pulling up to the main entrance to the largest building. Two men got out of the front doors and went around to the back. Three more people got out, one of them carrying a person slung over their shoulder. His heart stuttered violently in his chest as he recognized Hayner, his boyfriend and partner dangling helplessly, clearly unconscious. A closer look at the others revealed their coworker among them and he almost took the clear shot he was offered. If he didn't think it would put his lover's life in even more jeopardy he would have blown the bastard's head off.<p>

They hadn't had time to figure out the layout of the building yet, time the guard rota, or find weak points in the security yet; they were supposed to start working on that today. _God fucking dammit._ He sent a text to his boss, knowing the man would want to know one of his operatives had betrayed them in order to pull out any other agents on missions Eric knew about. Not only was every assignment threatened by this, but his partner was probably going to be tortured by the brunet agent and maybe even killed before Seifer could get to him. If he got ahold of the turncoat he was going to make him die very, very slowly.

Packing up his sniper rifle, he snarled darkly and started considering his options. Any more than two hours and Hayner was guaranteed to be dead unless Eric wanted to keep him alive for some other purpose. Checking his weapons, he climbed down the smaller building he'd used as a vantage point and set about finding the quickest way into the main area.

* * *

><p>Groaning as he came to, arms and legs tied painfully tight to a chair, he opened his eyes into the harsh light of a fluorescent fixture. Eric was alone with him in the room, the very knife that he'd pressed into Hayner's throat earlier twirling through the air as he tossed and caught it idly. There was still some of his blood on the very edge of it, glinting metallic red in the light.<p>

"Morning beautiful," he said, voice low as green eyes watched the lithe blond come to terms with his surroundings.

"What do you want with me, you fucking traitor?" He swore, anger peaking immediately.

"For one, I need you to bait your boyfriend into our trap. Once he's been dealt with, I plan to keep you as a pet. Maybe you'll be a little more receptive to my advances when you don't have anyone else in your life but me."

"No. Fucking. Way. I don't care if you were the last human being on Earth, I'd just shack up with a goddamn dog."

"How about if I kept your boyfriend alive? Would you cooperate with me if I held him hostage?" The double-agent asked, smirking at him as he walked closer to the chair.

Brown eyes narrowed to slits, but he didn't have an answer for the other. If he were to be honest, he probably would let the guy fuck him if it meant Seifer survived. This was exactly why it was total shit to be romantically involved with your partner when you were elite assassins; he'd do just about anything to make sure the scarred man made it out alive.

"How romantic, you would. It's too bad for the both of you really, if Seifer wasn't so emotionally invested in you, he could think things through before he infiltrated the compound. As it is I wouldn't be surprised if he's found his way into the building already. It's been half an hour since you were brought in, I'm sure that's enough time for him to find the weak spot we left for him. Very efficient assassin, one of the best, except for one grave mistake: he fell in love with his partner. A rookie move you both made. Now, Almasy's always been a romantic, but I was surprised when you fell for the guy after you two acted like you hated each other for so long. I figured if you were going to date an operative it would be me, since I've been chasing after you for three fucking years, but no, you dump me as your partner and start sucking his cock instead."

"I can truthfully say I never felt a thing for you beyond a strained friendship. I was going to ask for a transfer of partners anyway, it's impossible to work with a guy constantly trying to get in your pants. I'm rather surprised you didn't kidnap me and try to rape me earlier in our working relationship."

"You know what I love about you? You're hot as hell when you're furious," Eric commented as he cleared the distance between them and sat down nonchalantly in Hayner's lap.

"Eric, get off me," he ground out, blond brows furrowing tensely as his temper rose.

"Oh, but why would I do something like that?"

He used the knife to cut Hayner's black turtleneck open, from collar to hem. He pushed the useless material to each side of his victim's torso and the brown-eyed blond knew exactly what he was going to do. The irony was that he was the best of them as far as criminal psychological analysis; he could read people like a fucking book, but he didn't even see Eric's betrayal coming.

"I remember, you didn't have any scars before you let that bastard into your life. You were the only one of us untouched by our job or the lives we led before it. Then suddenly you got shot up on that mission in the south and were in an ICU for three weeks," here he traced the scars from the bullet wounds in his chest and stomach, "And were fucking covered in them. You don't see it, but he ruined you."

"I got shot because I made a mistake. If it wasn't for Seifer I would have been killed, he had to drag my ass out of there."

He had to at least make an attempt to clear things up with the traitor, not that it really mattered. Hayner had seen this particular brand of crazy quite a few times, though never while tied to a chair and at the mercy of it. The blade sank into the skin over his heart shallowly, just enough to draw blood. The sting was something he'd gotten used to, cuts and scrapes here and there from falls or broken glass, and as such he didn't even blink. If he was lucky it might not scar too badly, whatever the man on top of him was going to carve into his body. In a few years they'd be faded, in less than a month if he opted for surgery to correct them.

"You're not much of an artist, Eric, better stick to something simple."

"That's something else I admire about you, even in the face of a hopeless situation, you manage a devil-may-care attitude and just shrug everything off. Sometimes I was pretty sure if you were shot through the heart you'd joke about flesh wounds until you choked on your own blood. Maybe one day I'll get to test out the theory."

The knife bites deeper now and he can feel the trails of blood slowly meandering their way down his torso to soak into his pants. The stainless steel cuts into his ribs, curves and straight lines that keep him breathing shallowly, just short, pained pants. The sound of metal scraping against bone was beginning to make him physically ill coupled with the searing pain of being flayed. Squeezing his eyes shut against the hurt and the hot pricking he felt at the back of them, he was almost surprised at the backhand that came promptly after. Almost.

"I know all of our interrogation survival techniques, Hayner. Do you really think I'd let you slip away from this? If you take your eyes off me, I'm just going to make it hurt worse. Make this easy on yourself and don't be a goddamn hero."

"Isn't that my job, Eric? Being a big damn hero? That's what they call us on the news, unnamed heroes, haven't you heard?" Smart-assed humor is about the only thing he has to fall back on now.

The weapon is immediately buried into a portion of his thigh that the older man isn't sitting on, scream tearing itself from his lungs like a demon escaping hell. His chest heaves as he tries to get his breathing under control, a single tear that he couldn't stop trailing hot down his face.

"You only act this way when you're helpless. You hate that more than anything else, don't you, Hayner? The feeling of complete and utter helplessness. I love the way you get so angry you could explode when someone has you trapped, but you can't do a damn thing about it because you know it'll just get you killed. Like earlier, when I had that knife to your throat, I could feel how angry you were and it got me hard just thinking about how I have complete fucking power over you. I can and will do everything I want to you and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

He twists the knife cruelly, drawing another cry from his captive. Hayner sobbed, more salty tears twining their way to the other assassin's pant leg as he curled forward in an instinctual move to try and protect the wounded area. Eric wound his fingers into the blond's hair and held his head against the larger man's chest, other hand patting what he could reach of the lithe man's back, muttering soothing words. It's horrifically, disturbingly ironic, the torturer comforting their victim as they cried uncontrollably from the agony being inflicted, but he can't even bring himself to laugh about it because he can't get his lungs to work properly past the pain poisoning his body.

"So beautiful," the green-eyed man whispers reverently, yanking the weapon out of Hayner's thigh.

He choked for a few seconds and was already starting to feel dizzy from the sudden drop in blood pressure. The need for his partner to rescue him was starting to coalesce in his stomach, a slow, burning _want_ so violent and demanding it was an utter necessity. If Seifer didn't rescue him, the best he could expect would be months of similar torture before the agents managed to track them down. Even then, they wouldn't be there to save Hayner, they'd be there to kill Eric. The thought that his lover could die trying to save him tightened the blood vessels around his heart into an ache almost worse than the physical wounds being inflicted.

"I'm actually quite skilled at wood carving, to respond to your earlier artist comment. You'd be surprised what agents did before they fell into the life of an assassin. Why do you think I was one of the best interrogators? You need a certain precision to torture people properly, as I'm guessing you're beginning to understand."

The knife, slick with blood, was wiped off on what remained of his shirt before the 'artist' got back to his work, pushing his victim back into a fully upright position. Hayner wondered what the other man would do once he lost too much blood and went into shock; it was possible they had medical facilities somewhere in the compound, but he didn't know if Eric would be able to stop cutting him up in time to keep him alive. If not it would be a relief, if he was going to die anyway might as well save him a few months of brutalization. The feeling of sharp pain in his chest halted for a moment as the knife was pulled away again, green eyes seeming to survey their work.

"There's nothing that turns me on more than seeing you covered in your own blood."

A hand grasped his hair harshly, pulling back as lips crashed down on his. Warm steel found its way against his jugular, tracing a cut the length of it in the most sinister way possible. He relaxed into the contact out of the knowledge that if he did anything right now the other would expect it. Hayner felt cold, the sheer lack of proper recourse afforded him settling poorly with his personality. Reading the brunet's body language, he waited until it seemed like he was calming down, knife traveling away from his throat, and bit down as hard as he could on the foreign muscle in his mouth.

"_Fuck_! You little cunt," he swore as he jerked away, blood on his lips.

He turned his head and spat, the action symbolic more than helpful in getting the taste of his ex-partner out of his mouth. It was a terrible move on his part, he knew that before he did it, but sometimes it was better to do the worst thing possible than just sit back and take it. That sort of mentality was going to get him killed, quite possibly sooner rather than later. The blade flashed before it was thrust into his right shoulder, cutting muscles and tendons indiscriminately in its travel. The groan that escaped him was irritating, but not as satisfying to Eric as him screaming, so he took the small victory for what it was. He was left handed, at least, but it would still take two or more surgeries and several months of physical therapy before he was able to use his arm properly again. The throbbing pulsed through his whole body at this point and the edges of his vision were turning red.

"No you don't, stay with me, Hayner," Eric chided as he slapped his captive again.

"Do you always kill the people you're torturing? If your goal was to keep me alive, you're working against yourself right now," the brown-eyed man said haltingly, breath coming out in short huffs.

"There's a medical wing right next to us, you'll live whether you like it or not. Let's just enjoy the time we have before you pass out, shall we? Don't worry, I'm almost done, for now."

Withdrawing the knife with the speed and carelessness one would rip off a bandaid, he set back to finishing the design he was making in Hayner's chest. His breathing was getting shallower and he knew he only had between five and ten minutes of consciousness left, maybe twenty before he bled to death. He'd held out this long against pain that any normal human being would have blacked out from quite a while ago, but no amount of training could get him to stop bleeding out.

Suddenly he could hear gunshots outside of the cement room they were in as well as people shouting. The frown on Eric's face was all he needed to know that his boyfriend had made it past whatever trap they'd left for him. The door was wrenched open and he could hear a gun fire, the green-eyed brunet's face shifting to one of pain before he clutched at his shoulder, Seifer coming up behind him and throwing him to the opposite wall. Ice-colored eyes hard, he was splattered with blood, including a particularly telling patch of it on the left half of his face. Likely he'd slit someone's throat, kills like that were always horribly messy. Without a glance he shot Eric in both legs to prevent his escape.

"Took your time, huh Seif?" He joked weakly, so quiet he was certain only his partner could have heard it.

"Sorry, had to radio in a helo to get us out of here. You gonna be okay till we touch down at the hospital?"

"No, my shoulder and leg are bleeding badly. You'll have to make some sort of tourniquet. I'm going to be honest, I'm about to pass out and will be of no help in under ten."

"I don't need you to help, just stay alive, alright?" He answered calmly as he cut the ropes that held his boyfriend to the chair, lifting Hayner into his arms.

He knew on a basic level that Seifer dressed his wounds as best he could and carried him and dragged Eric by the shirt collar out to the helicopter that was waiting for them, but beyond that the details were lost in the haze. Despite his best efforts to remain conscious, the world faded out seconds after they got into the air vehicle.

* * *

><p>Cradling his boyfriend against his chest, he took stock of the damage done; the wound in his leg was the worst in terms of bleeding, but the one in his arm would probably take the longest to heal completely. Peeling back the remnants of the younger man's shirt, he could see a design carved into his chest and felt suddenly cold. He knew what it meant, the cross now cut into Hayner's skin was a fairly accurate colorless replica of the tattoo on Seifer's back. Eric had once joked sinisterly that the red symbol was painted over his heart like a target. The traitor was trying to imply that the lithe assassin's relationship with his partner was as good as painting a target on his chest.<p>

It was really for the best for all parties concerned that Eric was on the other side of the passenger compartment and being detained by Rude, Reno operating the helicopter, because if he had the option he'd find the slowest way to separate a human from their four major limbs while keeping them alive. Maybe if he was lucky they'd let the two of them kill Eric once they were done interrogating him. Even if they didn't, he was going to anyway, rules be damned.

The ride was tense, each passing moment he listened to make sure his lover was still breathing, and even when they landed at the hospital he knew they weren't in the clear yet. Watching the emergency room personnel take the two dying men away was difficult, but he knew lurking over the surgeons wasn't going to make them do their job any better. Even if he did point a gun at their head.

He occupied the time until Hayner got out of surgery by explaining everything he knew to his boss over their comm lines. Rude brought him a towel and a bottle of water, a quirk of his eyebrow all he needed to express what he meant. Wiping the blood off his face and using the water to clean a few of his wounds, he offered his thanks and dismissed the other assassin. He really just wanted to be alone. His boyfriend had been tortured by his ex-partner and he knew just from the way Eric had been sitting on him that the brunet was probably planning on keeping Hayner alive. The brown-eyed blond had mentioned once that Eric seemed vaguely sexually obsessed with him before they stopped working together and he really didn't want to think about what would have happened if Seifer never rescued him.

* * *

><p>Waking up in a hospital was never his idea of a good morning, but he had to admit, this time it was far preferable to the alternative. If he had to wake up in the cell again he'd rather not wake up at all. Seifer was at his bedside, pale eyes watching him evenly. He forced a smile at his boyfriend and got one back, the larger man standing and leaning over him to kiss him. Using his uninjured arm, he held his boyfriend down and deepened the kiss as much as he was able.<p>

"I was worried you'd been killed trying to rescue me."

Seifer just smirked, "It'll take a lot more than an entire building full of armed hostiles to keep me from you. Love you, Hay."

"Love you too, Seif."

Four weeks later he was released, and maybe it was wrong, but he enjoyed putting a bullet in the chest of his ex-partner and watching him drown in his own blood. He didn't even make a joke about it, which seemed like a tragic waste of a perfect ironic comedic opportunity. The scar didn't bother him that much and he opted to let it fade on its own if it ever would. Secretly, he sort of hoped it never went away, because even if his relationship with his partner did leave him vulnerable, their love also kept them both human.


	15. Drywall

Super short drabbly thing.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>015. Drywall<p>

He noticed it about the third time he came over; the first two times he was too nervous to really take in his surroundings. There was a hole in the drywall of Seifer's entryway just beyond the door, about the size of a fist. He studied it now when he thought the bully wasn't watching him before setting his backpack down and joining the older blond on the couch for the fifth time ever.

Hayner had been going over to the scarred man's apartment more and more lately as they settled into a comfortable rapport with each other. Ever since he'd kept Seifer alive long enough for the paramedics to get to him by giving him CPR after an outrageously bad fight, they'd set their rivalry aside. Which mostly meant the man with ice-colored eyes stopped throwing insults his way and he finally got the opportunity to be closer to his crush. They were getting a little old for bullying to be acceptable any more, at the point where they could do very serious, even lethal damage to one another it was probably best to avoid physical confrontations. They were nineteen and twenty respectively, people kind of expected more maturity out of them than beating the shit out of each other for no good reason.

"Hey Seifer?" He began tentatively.

"What's up, Hayner?"

"Why is there a hole in your wall?"

The scarred blond looked over at him from where he was sitting at the opposite end, previously watching the TV idly. A wry smile made its way onto his face, more self-conscious than a smirk.

"Because I punched it a little too hard that day a few months ago when I put you in the hospital? I was pissed at myself and took it out on my surroundings. I never…meant to hurt you that bad. Felt kind of terrible about it ever since. So I just leave it there to remind me not to get so damn angry that I beat the shit out of someone who I could count as a friend if I just let it happen."

It makes him blush, being called a friend, even though it probably shouldn't. The vocal acknowledgement of their recent attachment was pretty awesome, coming from the aloof fighter. Seifer's smile tilts into something warmer, more gentle, and he suddenly finds breathing more difficult than it was a few seconds prior. The brown-eyed teen knew damn well no one should be able to render him an idiot just by smiling, that sort of shit was for girls, but he couldn't help it. He knew that there were probably less than a handful of people who had seen him like this, and it's nothing short of a privilege to be this close to the bully.

"Maybe one day I'll help you patch it."

It's a silly thing to say, really, but judging by the stunned expression on the attractive man's face he gets what Hayner means.

* * *

><p>For those of you interested the next themes are: Radio, Ninja, Inscription, Pantry, and Dawn. Order might change, I'm flighty.<p> 


	16. Radio

Another prompt fic that turned out nothing like the prompter originally intended. Borrowed largely from I Am Legend, the newer theatrical version. This ficlet is a bit like a longer fic I've been writing, but not nearly as dark or violent. This fic is really the antithesis of violent.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

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><p>016. Radio<p>

It's dark. It's always dark when he hears the voice on the radio while he clings to it in whatever hole he could find to hide himself in. Someone named Seifer Almasy broadcast a short message, usually around five minutes, every single night, calling whoever survived the plague to his side. He had a deep voice, not coarse, but slick and smooth. The trip to the city he took refuge in and the nightly broadcasts were about the only thing keeping Hayner sane at this point. He was traveling with Roxas, Pence, and Olette for a while until he and Roxas had gotten into a fight over…he couldn't even remember now. They'd left him then, and he got the feeling they thought he'd follow them until they all calmed down, but he'd gone the opposite direction, toward the coordinates that Seifer repeated every night. Some nights he regretted it, when the darkness seemed to press around him so hard it was difficult to breathe, but he knew it was something he quite simply couldn't undo. Chances were he'd never see any of them again, but he'd just have to live with that. If he survived the journey anyway.

* * *

><p>Sometimes Seifer wondered if it was really worth it to continue the nightly broadcasts. A few stragglers had found their way to the near-empty city he took over, but he wasn't sure those farther out who did have a radio would make the trek here. Sighing, he headed back to the hotel where everyone was staying. The world wasn't really that dangerous post-apocalypse, not yet anyway. There were so few people who survived the virus that killed off everyone who didn't have an immunity born of an earlier strain that there was a huge surplus of processed food and livestock. A few people kept the nuclear power plant in this city running; engineers that sacrificed their time to make sure all the kids and young adults in the city had power. They cut out huge sections of the grid to conserve what they had, but they kept several supermarkets and the massive hotel lit, freezers and refrigerators containing years' worth of food running nonstop. Several truck drivers with semis of non-perishable food items like chips and ingredients had taken refuge with them as well.<p>

They had all been drawn here by one thing, not survival, but by the loneliness that permeated the landscape. With so few people left it became increasingly obvious that despite all their antisocial and uninvolved societies, they really did need other people to stay human. He didn't doubt the rate of suicide in the remaining population was massive, so many people without a single person for over a hundred miles and no will to go on. Having thoroughly depressed himself with his thoughts, he tumbled into bed, kicking his shoes off and falling asleep in his clothes. Fuu or Rai would come along and undress him, they always did.

* * *

><p>Running a hand through his hair, he frowned at how dirty it was. Ever since he'd gone off on his own he'd started noticing small things, like how easily dirt collected in the crevices in his skin, on his clothes, in his hair. With nothing better to do he'd gotten a lot more aware of his surroundings as well, mostly wary of wild animals. People didn't murder anymore, didn't steal, because there was plenty of everything to go around, so he didn't worry about other people attacking him. The worst someone might do to him would be kidnap him for companionship.<p>

If he knew his map by heart yet, which he did, he should only have another five miles until he crested the ridge that surrounded the city he was going toward. Chances were there'd be quite a few people there; if Seifer had the time, equipment, and electricity to make radio broadcasts then chances were he wasn't alone. There was no edge of desperation to his voice when he spoke either, and it was impossible to hide something like that when you were truly, completely alone. Hayner didn't doubt the others would be able to tell exactly how long he'd been alone the moment he showed up and spoke to them. Two hours later he was finding his way down a winding goat path on the ridge, less than half a mile away from the side of the city where the hotel Seifer mentioned was.

Around noon he sat on a bench near the target building, taking a break after nearly four hours of nonstop walking. His leg had been cut when he slipped against a sharp rock, which slowed his progress considerably as he descended the ridge. Easing his backpack off his shoulders, he let his head fall back, closing his eyes against the sun. There was something horribly trusting about baring his throat to the world when he couldn't see, but this brave new world had given him no reason to fear injury while in a populated city. The wolves and coyotes didn't range here, and nothing else worried him.

"You're new here, aren't you?" A familiar voice to his left asked, and he started a bit, opening his eyes and looking over.

The other man was leaning his arms on the bench, eyes a pale blue that reminded him of glaciers, with a precise scar from a blade right between them that disappeared beneath the low line of his beanie. He was tall, over six foot, and quite built as well, long sleeveless coat betraying cut muscles. When he smirked confidently Hayner could honestly say he was one of the most attractive people he'd met.

"Yeah, I'm Hayner, nice to meet you," he responded easily, recognizing him as the man he heard on the radio every night.

"I'm Seifer, but you probably already figured that out. The only people who come here are drawn by the broadcasts. You're hurt, need any help?"

"I don't, really, it's fine. I just cut my leg."

"You've been on your own for at least a month, right? Before that you weren't in a big group either. No clue when you should ask for help or how to accept it when it's offered. You don't have any phobia of being touched, do you?"

"No, but what does that have to do with anything?"

Seifer grabbed his backpack and put it on with a roll of his eyes, walking around the bench before sweeping the smaller blond into his arms. Shocked, Hayner just froze and watched him uncertainly. Giving the younger man a reassuring smile, he started walking toward the hotel like it was the most normal thing in the world to carry a stranger, injured or not. Maybe it was for this particular community, it was true he'd never been in a group larger than four. Probably not something he should fight over considering walking would probably make his leg bleed worse, and there was nothing that made him particularly uncomfortable about being carried.

"Where are you from, Hayner?" The blue-eyed man questioned calmly, voice not holding a hint of strain; he had to be pretty strong to carry someone around without struggling.

"Twilight Town, originally. You?"

"Radiant Garden, but I was supposed to move to Twilight when I was fourteen, actually. But then the original Quarantines happened and just like everyone I was trapped in a ward for a year. Then everyone died, the Relocation took me halfway across the continent, and after five years of running around with my two best friends I set up here. How old are you?"

That he has to think about it was really funny for some reason, "I'm nineteen. You're…twenty? Twenty-one?"

"Twenty-one. You're underweight for your age and height, I thought you were seventeen."

It was an odd thing to call attention to, but he got the feeling the people that lived here were incredibly candid with each other. There wasn't all that much reason to lie, there was no ladder to climb, no one had resources anyone else didn't, and there were so few people left even if you didn't get along with someone that much you'd put up with them for lack of another option. Maybe if he'd realized that sooner he'd still be with his friends after apologizing for fighting with them.

"I'm…sorry?"

"Nothing to be sorry about, you just need to eat more. How did you end up alone without many provisions?"

"Got into a fight with my friends, they left and I didn't chase after them. Don't know where they are now. Maybe they'll end up coming here too."

"Your friends sound like assholes, no offense. Don't worry, short of you being a serial killer, we won't kick you out."

"Well, now that you mention it…" He trailed off, hoping the other would catch on to his humor.

Seifer grinned and laughed shortly just before they entered the building, someone helpfully holding the door open for him. He could instantly feel eyes on him and glanced around the lobby, seeing nothing but friendly faces. They were just curious, not hostile, and it was a bit strange to be immediately accepted.

"Hey guys, this is Hayner. You can get your introductions out of the way later," he announced with the familiarity of someone who knew each person in the room intimately, pushing past the crowd.

"Don't mind them if they're overexcited when they finally do greet you, it's been months since the last new person. We get along pretty well here, but after a while the same fifty people gets kinda boring."

"So I'm fresh meat?" He guessed, wondering exactly where the other was taking him.

"Not quite, that implies they're going to eat you or do something socially cruel. You're a curiosity."

They went up to the second to top floor in the elevator, Seifer carrying him to a seemingly random door before pushing it open. Setting him down in a chair, he left for a moment and returned with a first aid kit. Kneeling next to his new companion, the scarred blond rolled up his pant leg enough to get access to the injury. Blushing, because it feels like cleaning his wounds is way more intimate than two people should be five minutes into meeting each other unless you were a medical professional, he averts his eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, this is just kinda new to me. The touching, the closeness…Everything is way more intimate than I'm used to."

"Does it bother you?" He asked as he pulled out some alcohol.

"Not from you," the brown-eyed teen answered, eyes widening when he realized what he'd said.

"You know what I've learned, traveling and making a home in the post-plague world?" The other asked, pale eyes flicking up at him before he poured a bit of the antiseptic on the wound, drawing a hiss from his companion.

When Hayner shook his head, he continued, "That beating around the bush, stalling, second-guessing, all that waiting for something to happen…It's better to just take a leap of faith and deal with the aftermath."

The lithe blond wasn't sure what he was talking about as he dried and wrapped a bandage around the cut. His confusion must have shown, because Seifer smirked at him as he stood up. He finally understood when the larger man leaned down, lips covering his gently, unobtrusively. Apparently he hadn't been the only one feeling drawn. Returning the kiss, he realized belatedly he'd never kissed anyone before, the Quarantine happening when he was twelve. Smiling shyly at the older man when he drew away, Hayner decided there was a first time for everything, pulling him back in.


	17. Ninja

So I don't really like how this one turned out, the prompt just didn't cooperate with me.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>017. Ninja<p>

"So…you're telling me you have a stalker? _You_ are being stalked?" Hayner repeated, incredulous.

"Look, Hay, this isn't some high-school crush bullshit where they slip notes in my locker and follow me home to school, this person is a fucking professional," the older man snapped back.

"Okay, you're going to have to explain to me why you, completely average twenty-six year-old graduate student, is being stalked by a professional assassin."

"Average? You wound me, chickadee. I'm anything but average," the attractive man joked, before growing more solemn, "I haven't really had the time to mention this, but my foster mother is kind of a multi-millionaire and the largest shareholder and CEO of a company that's on the verge of overtaking its competitor."

"You just _forgot to mention that?_"

"It didn't fucking come up," he growled, temper rising, "I don't like talking about it; people look at you differently when they know you're rich. You met my mom like three dozen times, isn't it better to get to know her than for me to tell you she's loaded?"

"Okay, so this assassin is out to kill you because your mom has money and a company? How does that work?"

"If I die, she becomes emotionally compromised and has to step down from her position for a while, sending the stocks plunging and setting the company back far enough it may never recover. Very neat logic."

"Do you just not care that you could die? You sure as hell don't sound bothered."

"Of course I care, but I'm more worried about you. For all I know he could threaten you to get to me, or to get to her. I think it'd be better if we…took a break until this was over with."

"A break? Are you fucking kidding me? And what do you mean by 'over with'? When you're dead?" He spat, anger turning his eyes dark.

"The FBI are handling it right now, so hopefully they'll get rid of him before he shoots me, so no, I don't mean when I'm dead. Gods you're hard to deal with when you get pissed off."

"Look, I don't care if this guy has his crosshairs on me, I don't want to 'take a break', or do anything but stay by your side. I've put up with you for six years, even if the guy is a fucking _ninja_, he can't manage worse than you've put me through."

"I don't know whether to be honored or horribly insulted," the larger man returned evenly, small smile playing on his lips, "You do know this puts your life in danger, right? And that I could die? This isn't something you should take lightly."

"I already told you, I don't care," he repeated, shoving his boyfriend down on their couch and straddling him, "Since your life is in danger and all, isn't there something else we could be doing right now than arguing?"

Smirking, he pulled his boyfriend down for a kiss, hoping like hell this worked out. He didn't want to die, he had a lover he was planning on marrying sometime soon and spending the rest of his life with, plus a professor that wouldn't accept his demise as an adequate reason for failing to complete his thesis. His companion's smile was unusually warm as he leaned back to unbutton Seifer's shirt, and even though he knew it was wishful thinking, for the moment he felt invincible.


	18. Inscription

Pre-slash, because we need a little of that every once in a while.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

* * *

><p>018. Inscription<p>

As much as he hated to admit it, he and Seifer had a lot in common. They enjoyed the same sports, they both did well in school despite their delinquent behavior, and they both had an arrogance that was going to kill them. There was one similarity that was more important than all the rest, and it was something he'd been hiding from the bully for a long time. He knew it wasn't something he could keep secret forever; that he even knew about it was a problem.

So when he was thrown to the ground and the larger boy grabbed him by the collar of his vest, he hoped the other wouldn't notice the chain around his neck that traveled down to his breastbone under his shirt. He wore the vest to prevent the other from noticing it, but it was hardly a foolproof measure. It wasn't like he could take the necklace off, he hadn't for nine years and wasn't about to change that for some attractive asshole he just happened to love a little bit. The fact that Seifer was straddling him in the middle of the Sandlot was really not making this situation any better either. Then those pale eyes caught on something and he got the feeling it was only going to get worse from here.

A gloved hand reached toward his neck and pulled at the simple silver chain there, lifting the dog tags up from under his shirt. Breathing out slowly, he looked away. Seifer was reading them and was probably going to be furious in just a few seconds.

"You never mentioned your dad died in the war."

"Really? We're usually so open with each other, I can't believe I forgot to. Your parents were in the same unit, I didn't think bringing it up would be the best idea."

"How did you know that?" The scarred blond asked, voice tinged with surprise.

"You know when a link on your necklace broke in the middle of a fight? I saw the inscription when I gave it back to you, saw your parents' names. I asked Mom about them, and she told me. I was sort of hoping you never noticed my dad's tags."

"Why would you try to hide something like that from me, what the hell did you think I was going to do?"

"I just don't think dead parents are the best fucking topic of conversation for you."

"Since when did you give a damn about my feelings, chickenwuss?"

"Since _always_, you oblivious moron, isn't that obvious right now?"

Sighing, the older fighter shook his head and let him go, standing and offering him a hand up. Taking it, since the worst that could happen was another punch to the face, he was dragged to his feet. Then the bully promptly turned and started walking away.

"Where are you going?" He called after the blue-eyed boy.

"Don't feel like fighting anymore. See you tomorrow, Hayner."

He blinked at the use of his name, too confused to reply, simply watching the figure retreat into the distance and turn the corner into another alley. Something had shifted between them, and he couldn't tell what or how it was going to affect them, but at least the other hadn't stopped speaking to him or something otherwise irrational. Brushing himself off, he tucked the tags back under his shirt and headed home.


	19. Pantry

Decided to be kind and give you two in one day because I am ahead on ficlets and the last two were pretty short. Prompt was a bit weird, but it worked out better than I expected.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>019. Pantry<p>

Seifer could remember exactly what his pantry had looked like when he was young. There were shelves and shelves of ingredients and snacks, his parents loved to cook and it showed. All the things he wanted to eat were kept higher up so he couldn't get them without his parents helping, and there were many days when his only goal in life was to try and get to the bag of cookies on the second to top shelf. He'd ended up with a lot of bruises and knocks on the head from falling as he was trying to climb the shelves.

Between the ages of eight and twelve he lived in an orphanage and never saw their pantry. Chances were, even if he had, he would have blocked the memory of it out like all the others from that place.

After he was adopted by a loving couple who couldn't have kids of their own, he waited a while before observing their pantry. He had no idea what to expect from them and he really didn't want to go back to the orphanage. Serah and Snow were nothing if not kind and gentle, the pink-haired woman especially tried everything in her power to make him comfortable. When she finally discovered the reason he never got food for himself when he was hungry, she laughed and kissed him on the forehead before taking him by the hand to the small alcove in the kitchen. Pulling open the door, she pushed him in and turned the light on. All the snacks were on the bottom shelf, and she ruffled his hair as she told him anything in there was fair game for him. From then on he memorized exactly what each of his parents liked to eat the most, and avoided those things, not that he'd ever tell them.

He moved out when he turned twenty and had a steady job and was doing decently in college. His pantry was half-empty, filled mostly with instant food and terribly unhealthy snacks. There were two cases of soda cans on the floor in it, waiting for him to pull a few more out to put in the refrigerator. It wasn't much, but it was more than others had going for them at this point in their life.

Hayner's pantry was probably the main reason he asked the younger man to move in with him. The teen lived with his father, and Seifer knew it was a strained situation for his rival, but he didn't quite get it until he carried the brown-eyed blond home after he'd fallen asleep in class. The smaller male had been sick for several days and his body had apparently had enough of him pushing it. Since no one else was around to take care of him, the scarred student had taken up the responsibility of seeing him safe to his bed. When he walked into the house, however, he looked past the teen's father, an average enough looking individual, to the place where normal people stored their non-perishable food. Instead, the pantry was lined with liquor, many of the bottles half-empty. Stiffening, he asked where the freshman's room was and climbed the stairs up to it. There were very few things in his room other than a bed and a desk, his laptop, clothing, and books about the only things that were his. Setting him on the bed, he packed up the teen's things in a duffle bag he found in the closet, slipping his books and laptop in the backpack he'd brought to school. He carried everything, including the lithe man himself, back out the door without so much as a word. When Hayner finally woke up, he found himself in Seifer's bed, several address change forms on the nightstand.

From there the pantry slowly grew more populated with food items as Hayner took over more and more of his life. The top shelf was reserved for the dozen roses he'd once bought for his boyfriend on Valentine's day, dried and fragile, lending an impossibly faint scent to the myriad of others found there. More spices took up residence on the lower shelves because oddly enough, his companion was good at cooking. Many of the instant things disappeared in favor of actual food ingredients, and before long, their pantry looked almost indiscernible from that of any other married couple. The roses lasted for almost a decade before they finally disintegrated, but luckily an army of others had made homes on the top shelf to take their place. Instead of snack foods, or booze, or cookies on the shelf just out of reach, they filled their pantry with each other.


	20. Dawn

It's about midnight for me, so I figured I should post this now since I might not get a chance later in the day. Totally loved the shit out of this prompt. Full prompt was "Wait till Dawn".

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

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><p>020. Dawn<p>

This wasn't really what he wanted, but it was better than the alternative, he supposed. It was only for a century, and after that, they could do whatever they wanted, fuck the pantheon. Being a god wasn't as easy as some people thought. He'd been human for about a decade before being forced to pick up the mantle of his predecessor and reassume his divine form, though it wasn't really that different from his human one. Ignoring the fact that his eyes were made of twilight and the very air around him was so charged with his power it turned into a reflection of the heavens. His real name may have been pulled straight from the maw of creation, but he preferred to be called Hayner by anyone who would let him get away with it. Standing at the edge of the Great Ocean, he let the water lap over his bare feet, the world dark save for the tiniest hint of the dawn he waited for every night.

His lover happened to be the child of Apollo, and as the child of Morpheus in charge of taking over his father's job when the god of the night was needed on Olympus for an extended period of time, they got to see each other for just a few minutes every day; at dawn and dusk, when night and day shared the sky. If the sun appeared to hover at the horizon for a scant few moments longer than it should, the populace either didn't notice or were writing stories about it the way they usually did. Maybe he'd have to come to some playwright in the night and inspire him or her to write the truth; that would certainly shake the mortal world. It would make for a classic romance, two people who initially hated each other and lived in completely different worlds eventually settling their differences and falling madly in love.

As the sun crept up, just barely passing the water, his soulmate left the chariot he was charged with driving and careened toward him across the ocean on a single fiery horse. Smiling fondly, he watched his partner, golden armor paling in comparison to the glow the god himself emanated. He must have been particularly desperate today, because instead of reining in his horse and dismounting, he just tumbled sideways off the beast into his counterpart, bringing them both crashing to the sand. Lips pressed against his with practiced aim and as always his body tingled wherever they were touching. Opening his mouth, he let the kiss deepen, hand curling into Seifer's hair, everything else forgotten but the man on top of him.

"Love you, Hayner, forever," his lover breathed against his lips when he broke the kiss, meaning every word.

"Love you too, Seifer, but I don't think eternity is long enough for me."

The temporary god of the sun smiled at him with the same brilliance as the ball of fire he was charged with dragging around and leaned down to kiss him again, hands tracing designs on his chest. Before long he had to get up, pulling his other half up with him and wrapping his muscular arms around Hayner tightly. His pale blue eyes darkened with the sadness that was always present when they were forced to part before he grabbed the reins of the burning stallion he rode once a day, the other he rode at dusk. Swinging up onto his back, Seifer leaned down for one more kiss and a hushed goodbye before riding back to the sun. Sighing, he released night's hold on the world and let the sun begin its ascent of the sky.

On a whim he abandoned his divine form in favor of his human one, not feeling like running back to Olympus and dealing with his cousins teasing him about the situation with his lover again. There was a strange heaviness to being human, even if he was still immortal, his powers no longer buoying him against gravity and other natural forces. Trudging up the beach, he noticed a young woman sitting further up it, furiously sketching something on parchment with a piece of charcoal. Cocking his head at her curiously, he approached her in the least menacing way he could, knowing she might be afraid of him.

"Excuse me, can I ask what you're drawing?" He asked quietly once he was close enough for her to hear him.

She squeaked and stopped drawing, looking up at him like a frightened mouse. If he remembered anything about humans, he'd say she was about seventeen, blond hair falling around her like sunlight and wide blue eyes terrified. Smiling disarmingly, he held his hands in front of him.

"I didn't mean to scare you, I'm not going to hurt you. I just wondered what you were doing. My name's Hayner, what's yours?"

"Hayner? But aren't you Morpheus?"

"That's my father, and the others call me by a different name, but I prefer Hayner."

"I'm Namine, it's an honor to meet you. I was drawing…" She trailed off and blushed, tentatively holding the parchment out to him.

It was a sketch of the two of them laying on the beach, and although most of the details were missing, she'd caught the moment when his lover smiled down at him. It was beautiful, especially for the work of a mortal. He handed it back to her and asked if she was staying here for a while, or heading home.

"I-I'm going home, I was just coming here to watch the sunrise, because Roxas said it was taking longer than it did when we were kids. I guess I know why now, was the other god Apollo's son?"

"Yeah, he generally goes by Seifer. Mind if I escort you home? It's dangerous for a woman to travel alone."

He wasn't trying to be sexist by implying she couldn't make her way home by herself, but he understood the darkness that ate at the hearts of men and didn't trust them not to try and hurt her. There was a glow of innocence about her, eyes still observing the world instead of shutting it out, and it was intensely important to him to protect the mortals, even from each other. Both he and Seifer were a different kind of god than the original pantheon.

"You don't have to, I'm sure you have other things you need to do," she added quickly, standing and brushing her white dress off self-consciously.

"Not for another eleven or so hours," he returned, looking up at the sky meaningfully.

She gave him a small smile and walked beside him into town. There was a group of three boys who immediately set upon them when they grew close to the outcropping of domiciles just outside the city proper. Undergoing an interesting change, she ceased any small and self-conscious actions and held her head high, walking through them with purpose. Apparently she was quite strong when dealing with humans, it must have been his status that had made her hopelessly meek. The second one of them grabbed her slender arm Hayner punched him in the face, having learned to fight out of necessity during his decade as an ageless human. Just because he didn't die easily and healed at an amazing rate, so long as he returned to Olympus frequently didn't mean he didn't have to defend himself and others.

The ensuing scuffle was a good reminder of just how aggressive humans were, he'd had several years to forget. Wiping the blood off his lips, he observed the writhing figures on the ground for a moment before continuing to follow the young girl to her home. Once there, she invited him in to meet her brother and their guests. Smiling, he passed through the threshold.

"Roxas, Axel, this is Hayner. He's, uh," she paused, not sure how she should introduce him.

"The current god of night, nice to meet you."

The other two men stared at him blankly for several beats, one a blond that looked very similar to Namine, he could only assume the two were related somehow. The other one had bright red hair and acidic green eyes, unusually tall and leaning over the smaller man in a way that was suspect.

"I've heard of gods walking among us, but I'd always assumed you'd be a bit…bigger," the blond commented.

"Not all of the gods take muscular human forms, some of us are just comfortable being smaller. If you go around built like a god, chances are people are going to figure out you are one a lot sooner. Most of the gods take otherwise unassuming forms, including frail old men. Are you Roxas?" He hazarded a guess, thinking Namine would probably address her kin first.

The spiky-haired teen nodded, glancing up at his companion skeptically, then over to the young woman. She handed him the parchment and he stared at it for a few moments before looking up at Hayner with a new understanding.

"You…like men?"

"My soulmate is indeed male, Apollo's son, Seifer. I take it your tastes lean the same way?" Hayner prodded, glancing between him and the green-eyed man bent over him.

"Not towards gods, but yes, we're lovers. How do you have a relationship with the carrier of the sun if you control the mantle of night?"

"We didn't always have those positions, our fathers were taking care of it up until a few years ago. It's a long story as to how we became involved."

"I'm guessing this means you're the reason the sun halts at dawn and dusk? Because you and your lover are stuck at opposite ends of the day? Some love story," Axel spoke finally, voice a burning thing.

"You don't know the half of it," he replied easily, faint color of humor in his words.

"If you have time, maybe you could tell me? I'm sort of an aspiring playwright, this is the kind of material those assholes who actually have muses could only dream of. Besides, it's not what they expect," the shorter man added.

"Because it's about two male gods falling in love? I guess I could, do you have time now, or is night a better time for you?"

"Right now is fantastic, if you don't mind?" Roxas said, grasping for a writing utensil and some parchment.

Namine chided him for not having any manners, offering Hayner a chair to sit in and handing him a cup of water. He considered briefly where to begin, explaining the circumstances of both his and his partner's birth because they were always defined by who their parents were. Roxas asked after Seifer's appearance and it was horribly difficult not to wax poetic about it, because that was just his divine nature to be contemplative. He was far more brash and arrogant than his father, but he was so much younger it could be forgiven. The son of Apollo was that way simply because he represented the hottest kind of passion and lived second by second. They all seemed surprised that a god had a permanent scar in such an obvious place, but once he explained he'd gotten it in a duel with another child-god they began to understand.

"So how did you and Seifer meet?" Roxas asked finally after finishing his notes on backstory.

"With fists. We hated each other when we were younger. Fought on a regular basis for around twenty years. After a while I'd had enough of the other young gods and left Olympus to live as a human down here. I stayed in a small town near Athens, a farming community that didn't think anything of a new person so long as they stayed out of everyone's business. It was strange at first, to not have everything I needed provided for me, but after a while I enjoyed it. Seifer visited me once early on, having spied me while practicing guiding his father's chariot. Threw the door open in the middle of the night and punched me for leaving without saying anything."

"Did you know he had any feelings for you at the time?"

"No, and honestly I don't know if he felt anything other than hate even then. He's not a particularly good liar, does everything with all he has, so if he did feel anything I doubt he'd be able to hide it that well. I lived this way for about six years, and then while I was in Athens a group of soldiers decided they needed a scapegoat for some minor crime that had occurred in the same area I was in."

He waited for the other man to catch up before he continued, recounting the scene that was still vivid in his eternal memory. The young god had been away from Olympus for too long to be immortal, he had to visit at least once a week to maintain those abilities, and as such didn't stand much of a chance against a group of fully armed and armored soldiers. The third time he'd gotten up after being knocked to the ground, nose and arm broken, lip split, and leg sporting a gash four inches long, they opted to just run him through and be done with it. The pain was seared into his body, along with the scar he'd gotten from it. Seifer, of all the gods, rode down on one of Apollo's horses and before long his golden armor was dripping with blood. Some citizens bowed, others screamed and ran, but the gilded god didn't seem to care about them at all once the soldiers had been slain. He had knelt next to his injured rival and lifted him up with the ease one might lift a feather, jumping back into the saddle and making for the home of the gods.

"So, he just happened to be watching you when you were attacked, and felt like coming down to save you when he supposedly hated you?"

"There wasn't anything coincidental about it. He'd been watching me on a daily basis for at least a year, or so he explained to me when I woke up. Gods are incredibly voyeuristic, lacking many other forms of entertainment, and apparently he wondered what I did down with the rest of you. I'd helped most of my neighbors at some point and I guess he admired my conscience. You have to understand, most gods don't care about humans at all. Which is why our predecessors did unforgivable things to them without even a further thought. Seifer and I are different, we love humans, despite all your flaws. After I recovered and escaped back down to my home, he followed me, as a human. Have you mortals invented the phrase 'absence makes the heart grow fonder' yet?" He asked, and judged by their empty stares that they hadn't.

"Well, Seifer had let go of a lot of his animosity toward me once we weren't fighting on a frequent basis any longer. I'd long ago forgotten my reason for hating him anyway. He lived with me for a month before he kissed me."

"Just out of the blue?" Namine asked, attention rapt.

"We had snuck onto the ramparts of the city-state to watch the sunset together, and he just sort of…leaned over and kissed me. Gods don't really delineate between genders like you humans do at the moment, we don't particularly care about the gender of our lovers so long as we either have feelings for them, or in Aphrodite's case, like having sex with them. I told him I loved him two years later. Might sound like a long courting, but when you don't age time is irrelevant. We lived like that for another year before we decided to return to Mount Olympus. The others were surprised, most gods aren't monogamous, much less in committed same-sex relationships. Hera thought it was beautiful, her husband less so. Apparently it was inappropriate for the child-gods of day and night to be in love, and he wanted to separate us. Hera, being the clever woman she is, made a wager with him. If we could manage to stay in love for one hundred years, only ever meeting at dawn and dusk, Zeus would never come down to ravage a mortal girl again."

"That sounds like it's not a very good situation for you though, I take it you had no choice in the matter?" The blonde girl pressed.

"None at all. It was either get a few minutes every day for a century or never get to be together again. When the other choice equates to death, it's not really a decision."

"What about when your hundred years are up, what then?"

"I plan to have Hera officially bind us. Once bound, nothing will be able to separate us."

"That's so beautiful, waiting so long for your lover, I wish there were more men like you," the blue-eyed young woman said, clasping her hands together.

"There will be, one day. You all might be reincarnated by then."

He stayed the rest of the day, talking with them idly while Roxas worked on his play, Namine sketching scenes from the story. Hayner knew he'd have to pull some strings to get the play to someone important enough to force it on the populace of a city-state. It wouldn't be particularly hard, he did have friends in the highest places. Axel still seemed uneasy around him, more wary than Namine and Roxas, who he discovered were twins. It didn't surprise him, the redhead was definitely a creature of fire, even if he hid in the night he was meant to live in the sun. He'd probably adore Seifer.

Before long the day was drawing to a close and he had to head back to the beach. The twins wouldn't let him leave until he promised to come back, and he honestly would have anyway so long as he was welcome. It was better if he found some resonant souls to spend his days with if he couldn't be with his lover; he really didn't get along with his cousins. He spoke as briefly as possible with his counterpart between feverish kisses, and Seifer seemed pleased that he'd found friends. The temporary god of night opted to wait until dawn to talk with him about the play.

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><p>"Hey Seif, do you think anyone will figure us out like they did three hundred years ago?"<p>

His eternal soulmate glanced over at him thoughtfully as lights played randomly on his face, "Someone will, but in this era no one believes something someone says unless they have twenty years of scientific data to back it up. We'll stay hidden even if we just come out to some poor sap with a camera."

Smirking, he knew his boyfriend had a point. They were at the private screening of their first big movie, a modern retelling of the very play that had been based off them in the first place. _Someone_ had found a copy and in the age of tolerance, made an entire feature-length film out of it. Their casting had been guaranteed, they were apparently 'perfect' for the part, and the media fell in love with their on-set romance. It was funny how everyone just assumed they'd gotten together while filming, even though they'd been divinely married for longer than they cared to count. They had even convinced their brethren to bring back Roxas, Namine, and Axel in their original forms. Though all their memories were gone, they still seemed to recognize Hayner and took to him immediately. The brown-eyed man convinced Roxas to write a script for the movie along with his boyfriend, and Namine storyboarded. It was full-circle in a way the smaller blond god could appreciate. Seifer just liked being able to make out with him in front of the whole world, possessive freak.

"So how long do you think would be appropriate to wait into this 'Hollywood romance' they think we have until we get legally married in this country too? If it's too short I think they'll just write us off, or so I gather from reading their magazines," the smaller man asked, absently admiring how good his lover looked in a suit.

"Maybe six years? Blink of an eye comparatively. I'm sure Hera would be way into planning the wedding, we should give her at least three years' warning so she can have everything perfect. You remember her wedding to Zeus? Four decades in the making."

"And it was so impressive it was broadcast around the world. Loved her dress."

"I liked how she had Apollo throw the sun into the center of the solar system where it belongs a few centuries ago so I never have to dick with it again. Doesn't seem like your dad minds still managing the night, which is good. Hopefully we'll be able to play around with the mortals for a few more centuries before we have any real duties to attend."

"We'll have to move in a few decades though, they'll notice beyond a certain point that we don't age. I mean, in this town less so, but still, when we're fifty and we still look twenty-five they're going to become suspicious, and there's only so many times we can brush off questions about our surgeons. They already think your scar is a publicity stunt, people never believe what they see these days."

"We'll have to keep uprooting the trio, and your new friends, Olette and Pence? I think they might be a little weirded out by the whole god thing too when we finally tell them."

"I'm surprised 'Lette hasn't figured it out from our necklaces, they date back to before their Christian messiah and are in perfect condition. No one _wears_ jewelry like that."

"She'll get it soon, I'm sure. Maybe we can beg Hera for immortality for our friends as a wedding present, I'd hate to see you mope around like you did the last time they died," the blue-eyed blond added.

"I wasn't moping, you dick, I was mourning the loss of friends I'd had for forty years!" He huffed, shoving the other away.

Seifer laughed and leaned back in, ignoring everyone around them; they had their own table and had intentionally gotten one in the corner. They didn't need to see their movie, they were there for most of it, and the story was pretty well known to them considering it was theirs. The son of Apollo pulled him into a kiss, tongue finding its way into his mouth immediately. No matter how many times they did this he still reveled in the feeling of tingling where their bodies made contact, it increased in intensity as they grew more aroused and he knew he had to pull away. Even if they were close to the crew and cast, they probably would look askance at them having sex in the middle of the screening.

They took their leave of the event and headed home, taking the long way around so they could watch the sun sink below the horizon. Even though it had been almost two millennia since they'd had to leave each other every dusk and dawn, it was still amazing to see the moonlight on Seifer's skin as they laid in bed together.

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><p>We've officially passed 50 theme suggestions guys~ Thanks so much for your continued support!<p> 


	21. Slumber

Such a weird interpretation of this prompt. Sort of like Trapped, except not at all. I'm taking prompts in strange directions lately, and it certainly doesn't stop here.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

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><p>021. Slumber<p>

Sleep never came easily to Seifer; often it didn't come at all. It was probably the main reason he'd started up a gang that went by the unassuming name Twilight Disciplinary Committee, he needed something to do on the three or four nights a week he couldn't fall asleep. His friends signed on simply because they loved him and would put up with his shit even when he was asking completely unreasonable things. Things had been getting gradually more dangerous as they got older and more fearless. Sometimes when he looked in the mirror and thought about it, he terrified himself. There was something completely neurotic about showing up to an armed robbery in progress with nothing but his fists and being certain of victory. Just because he hadn't been proven wrong yet didn't mean a bullet in the chest wasn't right around the corner, literally. He wanted to be able to sleep but he preferred to avoid the eternal kind of slumber.

The trio had moved about two years ago to attend college in the metropolis of Radiant Garden, and from there the danger had increased tenfold. Not only were they no longer in a sleepy town with a low crime rate, but the people here had no reason to fear them. They were building a reputation, bodies accruing scars along the way. Fuu was too quick for most people to hurt her, but both Rai and Seifer had been in the emergency room their fair share of times. It's not until much later, days before his twenty-third birthday, that he realizes he's very much mortal, even if he didn't need sleep.

They had managed to dispatch most of the armed assailants not really understanding what four guys with high-caliber pistols were doing in an alley attacking someone who took off before Seifer could get a look at them, but questions weren't all that important when people were shooting at him. The last of the men, however, managed to slip out from the pack and was well out of his reach when he aimed the .45 at Seifer's head. A gunshot rang out, but it definitely wasn't from the thug's gun because he was dead on the ground, instead belonging to the person the scarred blond had thought was long gone. Whoever it was had a pistol with a silencer, which immediately set him on edge. People didn't carry that kind of shit around unless they fully planned on killing people and getting away with it.

"You are definitely in entirely the wrong line of work, my friend," the man said, voice sounding incredibly familiar, if a bit deeper than he remembered.

"Hayner?"

"So you do remember me, it's been a few years," the brown-eyed man said with a hint of fondness, walking out of the alley far enough to be illuminated by the streetlight.

"What, since you fell off the face of the planet?" The elder of the two clarified, noting a dark spot on the other's black shirt at the shoulder and the way he was putting pressure on his left side.

"That is actually precisely what I did, in metaphorical terms of course. Can't really explain further, but," and here he paused to press a button on his shoulder holster, "If you're interested in doing more for the populace than downing a few minor criminals, I can take you to someone who can."

"Maybe you should be going to a hospital first, Hay," he commented despite his curiosity.

"Can't, not in this area. If we were farther away from HQ, maybe, but they have their own medical wing there, and no one asks questions," he replied as he started climbing up the fire escape.

Shrugging, deciding he could probably trust his childhood rival, considering Hayner hadn't killed them yet, he followed the lithe gunman. The other two-thirds of his group were hot on his heels, silent, because sometimes it was just better not to argue with him. Within a few minutes a helicopter traversed the skyline and hovered over the rooftop they were waiting on, Hayner climbing up the skids and into the open belly. Shaking his head in disbelief, the man with ice-colored eyes followed him, offering a hand up to his friends.

"So, can you tell me why you, a professional of some sort, was cornered by a bunch of purse snatchers?"

"They were bodyguards, actually. Working for the man I just killed. I would have been able to take care of them even if you hadn't have shown up, but it was nice not having to take the extra bullets. I'm an assassin working for an exceptionally underground order. Sort of like the Free Masons, except less crazy, more secret, and more inclined toward political murder."

"Any sort of government affiliation, or are you just mercenaries?"

"Can't tell you that, couldn't explain it very well even if I could."

"Fair enough. How much farther is it to your destination? I only ask because you're bleeding out and there's a first aid kit above the copilot's chair."

"You're just as sharp as ever, suppose you have to be. It's not terribly far, maybe half an hour? At worst I'll need to be resuscitated."

"You're just as stubborn as you always were," he replied with a shake of his head, standing long enough to gesture to the copilot to hand him the med kit, a small smile on her face, "Definitely hotter though."

"Could say the same, but that would be…unprofessional."

"Not unprofessional to have eyes," he throws back before sitting next to the injured man and pulling his hand away from the wound in his side.

It's not the worst he's patched up after a fight, but it's still pretty bad. That the smaller man can still speak is rather impressive. He bandages it as tightly as he can lacking the ability to do temporary stitches and then moves onto the gash on the other's shoulder where a bullet grazed him. By the time he's done his hands are covered in the sandy-blond's blood and he's been close enough to notice the loss of color in his normally tan face.

"ETA ten minutes, agent. Shall we inform them you're bringing presents?"

"You probably should say recruits, otherwise I'm going to get bitched at for not wrapping them," Hayner replied with a wry smirk.

The cabin fell silent again until Seifer decided to break it the only way he knew how, "So, are you single then?"

Clutching his side, Hayner laughed breathlessly, grin unbelieving, "You maintain a sense of humor about everything, don't you? Love that about you. Yes, I'm single, but if you play your cards right, I might not be pretty soon."

"I always was good at poker," the muscular fighter replies, because that's as good as an engraved invitation.


	22. Falling

Hey look, I can log in again. For a while there I thought 021 was just so tragically awful that no one could stomach reviewing it. This one is pretty concise, and again kind of an odd way to do the prompt but that's why you love me.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>022. Falling<p>

Hayner has dreamed of falling every night for almost a year. Falling dreams are fairly pedestrian by themselves, but the sheer frequency with which he has them isn't. It's enough to worry his mother and make his friends wary to let him near ledges. Normally he'd be completely patronized by their opinion that he's prone to being so clumsy he might fall off very high buildings, but after eight months of it he's developed a bit of a phobia himself. Seifer originally made fun of it, but it's gotten so bad even he's given up on it, because it's beyond a cheap shot now. Medication didn't help even though it should have, and it was getting to be hopeless.

The brown-eyed teen had the bright idea of simply not sleeping for several days to see if that fixes it. After three days, when he fell asleep he had the exact same dream as always, starting from unconsciousness like he'd had a bucket of water dumped on him, as always. Sighing, he gives up on sleep, possibly forever. Deep down he understood that people died if they didn't sleep for extended periods of time, ignoring the inevitable insanity, but he was probably going to have a nervous breakdown if things kept going like this anyway. For the first four days people don't really notice, he's usually so tired and distracted that he doesn't act differently from normal enough for his friends to catch on. After that they begin to get concerned and ask if he's been sleeping. He answered simply that the dreams, nightmares, whatever one wanted to refer to them as, were keeping him up at night more than before. It was technically completely true.

After seven days he struggles to remain conscious even while walking; luckily it's a Saturday so he doesn't have to worry about falling asleep in class. He walks around Twilight aimlessly for six hours after his friends have already left to go to sleep. It's about two in the morning when he sits on a bench and promptly passes out completely.

He dreams of being held, the warmth permeating the experience so much he almost thinks he's safe. When he does wake up, it's not because he was falling, but because he just…did. Hayner had forgotten what that felt like. It's slow and not at all traumatizing. Opening his eyes, he's surprised to find he's not in the middle of the market district but in his room. There's something large and warm behind him, and he glances down at the arms wrapped around his stomach. He knows exactly who they belong to, and why that person, above all the others, is able to quell his dreams is well beyond him. The dark-eyed blond had fallen for the man behind him long ago, maybe it's poetic irony that only he could stop the dreams of ceaseless descent.

"Sleep well, chickadee?"


	23. Lap Dances

This is just unforgivably lazy, but I can't always write oneshots in the place of ficlets/drabbles. Some of them just have to actually be drabbles because it's right there in the summary.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: Light M, everyone keeps their clothes on, tragically

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><p>023. Lap Dances<p>

Seriously considering giving up on his homework for the night, Seifer sighed irascibly and sat back in his chair. He needed a break at the very least, and with a glance around, he discovered that his boyfriend had disappeared somewhere else in the apartment again. For someone so loud and obnoxious the vast majority of the time, he was surprisingly good at being completely silent when he wanted to be. As if aware he was being thought about, he appears in the doorway. For some reason he was frowning, surveying the work not being done by his lover.

"Seifer, you really need to finish that homework soon, otherwise you'll be up all night again."

"Get off my back, Hay, I'm trying."

Without warning he walked over and sat down in his companion's lap, smirking deviously. Lips attached to his neck immediately and his pulse doubled in response. Hayner bit at his skin mercilessly and he slipped his hands under the slighter man's shirt. He really didn't know what brought on the sudden sexual advances, but he wasn't about to complain. Their mouths sealed over each other like puzzle pieces slotting together, tongues slipping over each other wetly. Heady and dazed, he couldn't stifle a groan when his boyfriend rocked down into him, the friction of their pants altogether awesome and irritatingly not enough. Body humming with arousal, he palmed the other's ass and tried to pull them closer. Smiling into the kiss, Hayner bucked back down onto him in a rhythm that was entirely designed to make him crazy. The need to get them both out of their clothes was staggeringly strong, but just as abruptly as it started the lap dance stopped, the younger blond sliding away with a serpentine grace and a grin to match.

"Hopefully that will motivate you to get that done and come to bed already," he threw over his shoulder as he walked away.

"If I didn't love you so much I would kill you," Seifer hissed back, honestly meaning it.

He got the rest of it done in record time, admittedly probably not his best work, but he had other things on his mind. Grabbing his boyfriend off the couch and physically dragging him to bed, he decided there were far, far better things to stay up all night doing than homework.


	24. Ribbon

FF seems to want to work only for a few seconds so I can submit these, and then immediately dies again. Also, Valentine's Day fic because there probably should be one.

Theme provided by: aomoa

Rating: G

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><p>024. Ribbon<p>

It was surprising when, on Valentine's Day, a girl in his class walked up to him and handed him a rose with a ribbon tied on the stem. He smiled and thanked her politely, hoping she didn't read into it too much; to say she was barking up the wrong tree would be putting it lightly. She was a mousey thing, blue eyes, black hair and a slight build, and from what he could see had all the personality of a cardboard box infused with excessive drama. Even if he could tolerate her, he was batting for the other team. She blushed and rushed off to fall in with the other unpopular harpies, leaving him to roll his eyes and throw the flower in his locker thoughtlessly.

As he walked to his first class he noticed Seifer glaring at him, though what he did to offend the bully this time was unknown to him. Just existing seemed to be enough to rile the scarred boy, so that didn't mean he was safe just because he hadn't done anything. He really, really didn't want to fight his crush on Valentine's Day, because there wasn't much that was less romantic than that.

During the one class they had together the arrogant male threw a note at him instructing him to meet the other in the Sandlot after school. Pulling a frown, Hayner knew it wasn't the kind of thing he could ignore and get away with it. Not showing up just meant the blue-eyed teen would hunt him down and everything would suck infinitely more because then they probably wouldn't even fight. Seifer would just lecture him on the consequences of evading him and deep under the walls he put up around him the younger of the two would see the hurt he tried so hard to hide. It was unnatural to see the other get upset over much of anything and the lithe teen tried to avoid it.

Shouldering his backpack, he left the rose in his locker for the day, not caring enough to take it home. It was a sweet gesture, he guessed, but completely unwanted and he didn't feel like dealing with it right now. The others asked if he wanted to hang out in the Usual Spot for a while after class but he shrugged them off, saying he'd stop by later if he could. Olette looked at him oddly but they headed off anyway. Sighing, he headed off to the Sandlot, not noticing he had a tail until he was almost there. Glancing back, he saw that same girl from earlier following him with her small posse of friends and grimaced. He definitely preferred getting the shit beaten out of him by Seifer than having to deal with their simpering smiles and empty giggles.

"Hey, lamer, when did you get a fan club?" The boy with eyes like shards of a glacier asked with a sneer, real interest lurking behind them.

"Today, and I seriously do not want them," he replied under his breath once he was close enough to the bully for him to hear it.

"Spending Valentine's being stalked is tragic, even for you. Might have a solution for you, though."

"Does it involve punching me in the face?"

"No, actually."

"Try me, I think they might actually be rabid," he agreed, knowing he was probably getting himself into something terrible, choosing the evil he knew over the one he didn't.

The taller boy smirked before grabbing him by his vest and pulling him forward, their lips crashing together. Completely lost as to what exactly was going on, he kissed back on instinct and hoped this wasn't going somewhere incredibly awkward or embarrassing. The girls behind him gasped and one made a squeaking sound; he was certain they left right after that but was too occupied to check. When his crush pulled away he was still smirking, but there was something warmer, more lazy about it.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Hay."

Not detecting any underlying malice in his words, the brown-eyed teen returned the sentiment with a small smile. Seifer walked him home and not once made a cheap shot at his pride or attempted to trip him, and he got the distinct feeling this was about far more than getting rid of some high school harpies. When the muscular boy was waiting to walk him to school the next morning, he decided he was more than okay with that, though he did feel the need to point out that a kiss wasn't going to cut it next Valentine's Day. The other just smiled.


	25. Brony

So...I'm a brony. And I coerced my other brony friend into giving me this prompt. My face was permanently manic-happy while writing this and you may need google to have any idea what's going on, unless you too are a brony. Even if you dislike this ficlet I will still love and tolerate the shit out of you.

Theme provided by: Mylaervain

Rating: T

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><p>025. Brony<p>

It's something Seifer has been hiding pretty well so far, though he thinks Fuujin is onto him at this point. Rai is just as oblivious as ever and probably would join in if he knew, just because that's the kind of friend he is. He's a fairly intelligent college student, and a badass who gets into fist fights and sometimes bar fights on a regular basis, but every Saturday, without fail, he goes online and waits until the new episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is posted. As far as he's concerned it's completely and totally legitimate for a twenty-two year-old to watch a cartoon aimed at young girls simply because it's awesome.

A knock at the door pulls him out of his thoughts and for a moment he's pissed off, because the video had just finished loading. Getting up, he opens the door to his dorm and blinks a few times, not really understanding why Hayner is standing in front of him. He's got several bags with him and Roxas is right behind with more stuff, and it's pretty much the most confused the other student has managed to get him in quite a while.

"Your roommate dropped out, mine wanted to room with his new buddy, so we're stuck with each other," the brown-eyed man said by way of explanation as he pushed his way past the larger blond.

"Okay…Sure this isn't just a scheme to torment me more than you can in our lit class alone?"

"Mostly sure, but it could be if you want it to, I'm pretty flexible with the whole friends or enemies dichotomy."

Shrugging and deciding he didn't care, he grabbed the rest of his new roommate's things from his spiky-haired friend and threw them on the bed with the others. Ignoring him in favor of the new episode, he put his earbuds in and was just about to play it when he heard Hayner speak again.

"Is the new episode up?"

"What?" Was the most intelligent response the scarred blond could manage on the spot.

"Of MLP. This episode has Derpy in it, and she's my favorite non-mane-six pony. Fluttershy is my favorite of those. You seem like more of a Rainbow Dash guy, right?"

"You're a brony?"

"Uh, yeah? How else would I have recognized the cutie mark stickers of Dash and Twilight Sparkle on your computer? You're not as subtle as you think you are, Seif. Mind if I watch the new episode with you, since you have it loaded and all?"

"Yeah, sure. My favorite is Dash, you're right. Outside the mane-six it's Luna."

"Princess Luna is pretty cool once she's not evil. Still think Celestia was a bitch to send her to the moon for so long."

"Celestia is kind of a bitch in general, really. Why do you like Derpy so much?" He pressed as he pulled his buds out and let the smaller man sit next to him on the bed.

"Dunno, she's just pretty cool. I like how Faust just sticks her in randomly for the fans to see, I think in this episode she's going to get a bigger part."

They shut up once the episode starts and are silent pretty much the whole way through, and Seifer can't help but think that this whole roommate thing is going to work out just fine. Even if they only have this and their high school years in common it's more than enough to make Seifer tolerate him for however long it is until the end of the semester. Doesn't hurt that his long-ignored crush on the other had pushed itself to the front of his mind again after hearing the other read a few lines of _The Divine Comedy_ like he really got it. It was a weird thing to find sexy in a guy, but whatever, if people were going to judge him they had a ton of better targets.

"Derpy hasn't ever talked before, has she?"

"No, and they've never referred to her as Derpy in the show either. Awesome episode. I've got some homework to do, so I'll leave you alone," Hayner tacked onto the end of his statement, sliding off the bed and going to sit on his own.

"Hey, same time next week?" He said suddenly, not sure why, but he could always blame pony friendship themes for it later.

"Yeah, that sounds great, Seif," the tan student answered, smiling.

And if he leaned into the smaller man a little more the second, third, fourth, twentieth time they watched an episode together, he could blame ponies for that too. But probably not the kissing, the dating, or the sex thereafter.


	26. Tied Together

Sorry about the late-night upload, my life has been...unfortunate lately and I didn't finish this until just now. Weird, oddly edgy direction and I'm not sure where I pulled this from but I kind of like it. A less typical kind of romance.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>026. Tied Together<p>

Seifer knew it was not going to be a good day when he woke up tied up, the warmth at his back belonging to one Hayner Dincht. It wasn't that he minded the younger man, really he liked the guy way more than he should, but they had no business being in the same room as each other unless they were fighting, much less tied at the wrists in the dark. Chance and shitty luck had them on opposite sides of the line when it was drawn, and now they were leaders of their respective gangs. They had nothing personally against one another, but there were rules to follow if everyone was to stay alive, so they fought each other constantly. It was the only way they'd found so far to keep their subordinates from killing each other, if they fought each other one-on-one at least once a week the rivalry would stay bloodless. No one died and it kept them from setting fire to half the city, a win-win situation aside from the broken bones.

"Hayner, wake the fuck up," he hissed, considering headbutting him if that didn't work.

"Shit, where the hell are we Seifer?" He asked, undoubtedly looking around in the tiny bit of light provided by two dusty windows on one side of the room.

"Don't know, chickadee. You hurt?"

"Are we speaking physically or emotionally?"

The blue-eyed fighter snorted, he had to admire how easily humor came to him in bad situations, "Well sweetheart, we can save the crying session about your boyfriend for later, I'm talking about bones and blood."

"I don't have a boyfriend, and that is exactly the problem, you scruffy nerve-hurter. I'm fine though, just lacking a bit in the mobility department."

"Same here. Do you remember what you were doing before this, because I sure as hell don't?"

"No clue, maybe blunt head trauma, or a chemical that not only knocks someone out but fucks with the process of encoding memories."

"Sounds like fun. Got a knife on you or anything that might help us with these ropes? If I'm going to be tied up with you I'd really prefer it be more sexual than creepy."

"Are you hitting on me while we're tied together in god knows where? You choose shitty times to be romantic, Almasy. I've got a small razor blade in my left back pocket for just such an occasion, but I really can't reach it right now. If you can get to it you have a perfect opportunity to fondle my ass, and I know you want to."

"Says the guy chastising me for hitting on him. You're a piece of work, Hay," he returns gamely before twisting his arms around enough that he can reach into his rival's pocket and retrieve the blade.

He takes his time, which he thinks he's earned, all things considered. The metal is warm to the touch, heated by the other's body, and there's a thin wax coating on the otherwise bare blade. Using his thumbnail he rubs it off gingerly, fully aware how easily the smooth edge could flay him without him even knowing it. The ropes are thick, some sort of plastic, and braided on top of that, it'll take a while for him to cut through them and he thinks they both know this. What he doesn't know is if time is of the essence, or if they have enough of it to dick around with a tiny razor blade.

"Hey, pass it my way, will you? I've got a faster way out of this."

Hayner had a dark cleverness about him that no one had a right to have, so if he said he knew a better way, it would probably both work much better than anything Seifer would have done, and involve doing something no one else would in the same situation as well. It's a terrible, suicidal sort of practicality, and sometimes the scarred blond thinks if it wasn't for the whole gang situation the other might have killed himself. The thought makes him inexplicably, incredibly sad, and whenever it pops up he immediately pushes it away. Passing the blade over, he pointedly doesn't guess at what the smaller man is doing with it, because if he knew he'd stop it. It's weird, caring so much about a guy you have to practically kill every week or so, but at the same time it'd feel wrong if he didn't. He _has_ to care about Hayner, just like he has to breathe. It just is.

He hears a hiss from the other and it takes considerable effort to not think about it, and before long his companion has one of his hands free and sets about loosening the knots with it. Once he can move his arms again he rubs his wrists where the ropes bit into them, finding the pattern fascinating more than he cares about the pain. Standing and turning to the other, even in the dim light he can see that the sandy-blond is occupied with his right wrist. Walking around to get a better look at what he's doing, he sighs resignedly, knowing something like this was going to happen.

"Was slitting your wrist absolutely necessary? Really? You're so self-destructive it's insane, I wish you…" He trails off because he shouldn't finish that sentence, ever, at least not out loud.

"If I didn't, we'd be here for at least another ten minutes."

Arguing with his stubborn friend-slash-enemy has never gotten him anywhere, so he shrugs and drops it, tearing off a piece of his shirt and wrapping it around the wound, tying it tightly. Offering the other a hand up, the taller blond immediately started looking around for a door to try, the windows looking like really poor options at this point. Heading toward the one at the far end of the large storage area, he could sense the lithe fighter behind him just from being around him so long.

"You know, we do seem to be all alone in here…" Hayner said suggestively, clearly just trying to keep up with their blatantly sexual exchange of wit.

Smirking, because he knew the other didn't expect it, at all, he whirled and grabbed him by the front of his shirt. Slamming him into the wall, he lets their lips mesh together and it's the easiest thing in the world. Kissing his rival is easier than punching him after almost a year of doing it, and that's something that rattles the core of Seifer's being, but he knew it was happening anyway. They were the kind of slow burn that didn't kill, but sure as hell left scars. The feel of the shorter gang-member's tongue sliding against his is intoxicating in a way alcohol never has been, but if he doesn't stop now he never will, and now is not the best time to be doing this.

"You're a bastard, you know that?" Hayner snapped at him, tilt of his mouth furious when they pull apart.

"I know, I really, really am. But right now the issue of getting out of here is more important than judging me on my character flaws. Quite frankly we don't have that much time."

Ignoring the scowl on his face, Seifer tries the door, surprised and suspicious when it opens without a fuss. It didn't make sense to tie two people up and then just leave the door unlocked, unless you were stupid enough to think they couldn't get free or were laying a trap for them the whole time. Walking out cautiously, it almost comes as a surprise to the pale-eyed man when two guards train their guns on them. In fact the only thing that is surprising to him is his automatic reflex to shove Hayner behind him. He was in this deeper than he thought.

"Seifer Almasy and Hayner Dincht. Seems you two do get along well, despite your rivalry. I have a proposition for you," a man in a suit said, dark hair tied back into a ponytail and a blank expression on his face.

"Kidnapping and tying two people up is not a good way to start a business venture. What do you want?"

"You've both managed to effectively tame the bloodlust of the two largest gangs in the city, however, three of the smaller groups have begun making moves against your people. Those they can't recruit, they kill. Normally we would let everyone just kill each other off, but considering your hundred or more members have caused less damage than just one of these twenty-member gangs, I am inclined to point you toward a solution that leaves you intact. Risk management. If you can join up with one another, as they have, you stand a very good chance of eradicating the other gangs entirely, leaving only you two. After having worked alongside each other, your membership will be less inclined to blindly hate one another, perhaps ending your rivalry and allowing the two of you to cease the violence on one another that is clearly not desired."

"And how do we know you're not just going to kill the rest of us when all this is over?" Hayner ask, brown eyes hard.

"Don't have the manpower, for one, and gratitude for cleaning up the streets for another. Your gangs don't pose a significant enough threat to us to warrant trying to kill or arrest all of you. Other than belonging to a gang, quite a few of your folds are just average law-abiding citizens. An interesting phenomena."

Glancing at his counterpart, Seifer wondered what he wanted to do. It meant risking the lives of their friends, the families they'd built up over the course of their time as gang members, but it seemed like if they didn't everyone was going to die or turn on them anyway. They'd also get to be together in a way that didn't involve broken ribs or blood-smeared knuckles, which he knew without a doubt Hayner was thinking about. A small smile crept onto his face and he nodded at the older blond.

"Fine, we'll do it."

"Excellent. Follow me, we'll drive you back to your headquarters and give you further instructions. My name is Tseng, it's a pleasure to be working with you."

They refused the ride once they knew where in the city they were, instead walking together. Seifer would like to say they discussed all the ground they had to cover, but they didn't do much discussing at all, unless one counted making out like teenagers in a back alley as conversation. The feel of taught muscle, the smooth planes of the other's stomach, was completely different when they weren't grappling each other on the ground, bleeding and bruised. He wanted more, but he knew that would have to wait until later, when they could be sure they'd be alone and safe besides. The taste of Hayner on his lips was definitely enough motivation for him to risk his life, if it meant he wouldn't have to leave the other ever again. There were certain things that were more important than living, on this they could both agree.


	27. Water

So very sorry for missing a day there guys, I just wasn't able to finish this in time. But hey, I did 26 ficlets right on time or early without fail, everybody gets a freebie day once in a while, right? This one is pretty quiet.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>027. Water<p>

Hayner had a unique affinity for water, more so than anyone else he knew. It wasn't unusual for people in their seaside town to love the salty water, but he didn't know anyone else who swam in it alone in the middle of the night eight months out of the year. Maybe he was just batshit crazy and no one had the heart to tell him. Treading water about fifty yards out, he looked out over the water and up to the stars. The way the almost-full moon smeared the dark sea with silver light was entrancing, and it was easy to relax tonight. Sometimes it was difficult to let go of the stress of the day even after swimming long lengths along the shoreline. But tonight was Friday, meaning he didn't have anything in particular to worry about except hypothermia for the moment. Sighing as the moon climbed in the sky, he checked his watch and frowned, knowing he'd have to get out soon. He was freezing, for one, and it was ten at night for another.

Sliding out of the water with a bittersweet finality, he toweled off his hair and wrapped the thick fabric around his body to keep him warm. He lived near the water, so the walk back wasn't terribly long, not that any distance would have stopped him from swimming. His friends had once suggested he join the swim team, but he refused; it just wouldn't be the same to swim in a finite amount of chlorinated water under harsh fluorescent lighting. There was a freedom to what he did, he didn't want to have to follow orders or worry about time, he swam to set those things aside. Besides all that, Seifer was the captain of the swim team and the last thing he needed was to see the other almost naked and soaking wet. If it wasn't for the lack of blood flow to the vast majority of his body at the moment because of hypothermia just the thought would be causing issues.

Pushing open the door his mother kept unlocked for him, since he couldn't exactly bring his keys, he headed for the bathroom. He always laid out the clothes he was going to sleep in there for when he'd finally stripped off his swim trunks and completely dried off. His mother was working in her study, as usual, so he stopped by the slightly open door to bid her goodnight before heading to bed. Hayner could remember that she used to be terrified of him swimming at night, insisting she be there when he did it every night. Finally he decided to take the test necessary to qualify as a lifeguard and passed with flying colors and that was enough to convince her that he could handle swimming close to shore by himself. As a convenient bonus it also gave him a summer job.

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><p>The next day was easy, it was late spring and in the temperate climate of Twilight Town it was a perfect day to go swimming, this time with his friends. When Roxas challenged him to a race, just for something to do slightly more masculine than splashing each other, he let the other have a ten second head start because otherwise it was just sad. He still won by a large margin, but it wasn't for lack of the other trying. He had the body and muscles of a swimmer, cutting through the water was barely any more than muscle memory at this point. For all that Seifer was stronger and more built, he was probably a faster swimmer than the scarred bully. After a few hours everyone had had enough and they went back to the Usual Spot, drying off and relaxing in the waning light. They all knew he'd be back into the water come moonrise, it was something that wasn't even addressed in their friendship anymore. He wasn't going to kill himself and it kept him sane, so they just silently supported it.<p>

By the time his hair was completely dry it was night and the others were saying their goodbyes, Olette with a secretive smile she couldn't seem to hide that confused the shit out of him. Shrugging it off, he headed home to work on homework before nine. Once he could see the moon pulling itself above the buildings, he set the work down and got changed, telling his mother he'd be back soon before walking out into the night. He was surprised to find someone already there as he set his towel down on the beach, recognizing them by their body shape silhouetted by the moon out on a rocky outcropping. Why Seifer was out here was none of his concern, and he slipped into the slow waves intent on ignoring him.

He couldn't get the feel of eyes on his back out of his head as he did warm-up laps, making the whole experience way more stressful than it should have been. If the blue-eyed boy was going to creep on him every night he was just going to have to find a different stretch of water to swim in. The moonlight cut his body into angles, all silver and shadow and he was brutally beautiful separated into parts like this, his sharp arrogance melted into delicate, flowing silence. It was impossible not to fall completely for this side of him, the vulnerable, gentle part that he never left visible in the real world. The next time he looked over, the bully was gone from the rock, instead slicing through the water with practiced ease. Before he thought to attempt to flee the older blond was upon him, quite literally. Hands traced a path down his back and they kissed, and rather than try to push him away, Hayner wrapped a hand around the nape of his neck and pulled him closer. It was lazy and slow, the softness in Seifer's eyes enough to tell him what the other meant without the words.


	28. Protect

Odd possible-canon fic. Like, if I wrote KH3, this would totally be part of it.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>028. Protect<p>

It was horribly difficult to protect people who didn't want to be safe, as Seifer was quickly finding out. As much as he knew the Hayner could handle himself, he didn't want to risk losing the fatalistic teen to the Heartless. Ever since he had rescued the younger boy from a crumbling Twilight Town they'd been practically on top of one another. Roxas had come earlier to save his friends, and he and the brown-eyed teen had gotten separated when the world began to collapse. Seifer happened to be near and pulled him out of the grasp of a giant shadow, carrying him into the portal left behind by the blond keyblade-wielder with Fuu and Rai on his heels.

Hefting his gunblade, something that had appeared in his hand when he was faced with Heartless, he walked over to the edge of the cliff overlooking the Castle, sitting down on the rim. It was hard to ignore how young most of the people involved in this conflict were, the main fighters were mostly in their mid-teens, it was just sad to see sixteen year-olds covered in blood and fighting for their lives. When it was his charge in that situation he just wanted this to be over. No matter what he did he couldn't protect Hayner if he insisted on doing his part in the fight. No one but the keyblade-wielders could kill the Heartless permanently, but pushing them back was better than just letting them kill everyone.

"Seifer, what are you doing out here without someone to watch your back? You know it's dangerous to go alone. I had to have Leon escort me out here."

"It's hard to care anymore, Hay," he returns quietly, voice barely above a whisper.

"You know an attitude like that just attracts them, don't you? Why don't you give a shit?"

"I want to die first," the scarred fighter says, not realizing he was going to until it was already out there, floating in the air between them.

"_What?"_ Hayner spat, shocked.

"I don't want to have to watch you die. Or, fuck, anyone else for that matter. I want to die before you do."

"I'm not going to leave you, Seif, okay? This isn't like you. Just because you're a year older doesn't mean you can be ten times as jaded and hopeless."

"Right, 'course. Sorry, just having an off day," the taller blond replied with false ease as he stood up and turned to the other, sword balanced on his shoulder.

"You can't die on me either, and your shitty mood is a fast way to doing just that. Quit it, please?" The younger teen implored, voice containing a very real grain of desperation.

Sometimes he forgot how alone Hayner really was in this world. All of their parents were wherever people ended up when their worlds were swallowed by darkness, and that left him with just a handful of people in the entire universe to be there for him. Seifer didn't feel the loss as much, because everyone he really gave a shit about was still with him, and he didn't have parents to begin with. Considering all of the events that had befallen them, it wasn't surprising that the tan skater clung to him, worried about him like he did. The scarred male was, at this point, about a quarter of Hayner's world; he couldn't afford to lose any more.

"You're not going to lose me, chickadee, don't worry so damn much. You couldn't tie your shoes without me, I'm not going anywhere."

He grabs the other boy by the hand and tugs him back to the town proper, and no argument comes forth. That the brown-eyed blond doesn't even bother to claim he can indeed tie his shoes without Seifer there is a deeply emotionally conflicting moment for him. On one hand, he knows codependence is the only way to survive, and he loves Hayner, so it should be fine for them to be getting closer. On the other, however, he knows that there's no guarantee they'll survive to see tomorrow, and if they become too involved losing the other would leave them in an exceptionally vulnerable position.

The gunblade-wielder was pulled out of his thoughts when some Shadows dragged themselves out of the inky splotches they became when they trailed along the ground. Hayner started and they found themselves back to back on instinct, the other drawing his sword. The lithe male had a knack for blades, in the end it wasn't all that much different from Struggle, just loads more violent and dangerous. They cut through the low-level enemies with ease, Seifer turning back from the tendrils of smoky darkness just as he heard a shout from his companion. Hayner was flung against the purplish rock of the mountains by a Neoshadow, bouncing off and crashing to the ground with a grunt. There were two of the black masses with hungry yellow eyes, and being the protective bastard he was, he went after the one closest to his partner. It left his back completely exposed to the other, but he didn't really care at the moment.

Hyperion dove deep into the body of the Heartless, tearing its shade away and driving it back. The other was coming up on him as he forced the first monster back to a position he could be facing them both in. One of the beasts slashed at his chest, scoring three shallow cuts on his left pectoral, to join the other scars there. Always aimed for the heart, the single-minded creatures. By the time the sandy-blond swordsman had made it to his feet the elder of the two had dispatched one of the enemies and been succinctly pinned by the remaining. Its claw dug into his shoulder as he used his blade to keep the gaping mouth away from his chest. Hayner drove his sword into the monster's head and it shrieked, bucking away with the weapon still deep in its ethereal skull. It slashed wildly, catching the skinny blond in the leg and knocking him back.

Using its distracting to his advantage, he filled the darkness with bullets, bringing its final moment to fruition a bit sooner than it would have come otherwise. Crouching next to his friend, he held back a flinch at the blood leaking out between his fingers as he covered his calf, his black pant leg wet around the edges of the slash. The potion Seifer had on him was just enough to stop the bleeding, the wound itself unmended. Collecting his weapon, Hayner limped heavily enough that even he couldn't make an honest effort at refusing help. Knowing he couldn't carry the other in his arms with his shoulder injury, he coerced him into letting the blue-eyed man piggyback him the rest of the way to their current home. The arms around his neck held on with more closeness than was absolutely necessary, and the slighter man's chin rested on his shoulder in a way that was more than companionable.

"Hey, Seif, can I tell you something?"

"Don't be a dumbass, you can always talk to me, you know that. You're on my back, I'm pretty much a captive audience here anyway."

"I love you," he replied finally in a sigh, tinted with fondness and pain.

"Love you too, Hay."

Maybe it wasn't so bad if they became larger parts of each other's lives, Hayner had held a majority share in his for a long time anyway.


	29. Heat

Lazy drabble is lazy.

Theme provided by: LoveUnderAMidnightSky17

Rating: T

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><p>029. Heat<p>

Hayner noticed something odd about his rival; the older blond was hot. Not just attractive, he literally radiated warmth. It was something that was becoming increasingly hard to ignore, especially in situations like the one he currently found himself in. He was already sweating in the sweltering sun to begin with, and with Seifer on top of him he was pretty sure he'd pass out from heat stroke in a few minutes. There wasn't even a reason for their fight at the moment, not one that he could think of anyway. He'd just been boarding down at the skate park when the scarred bully had shoved him to the ground and they'd gotten into it. At this point it seemed like they were just going through the motions whenever they fought, acting the way they did because it was pretty much the only way they knew to interact with one another; it was what people expected.

"Get off, asshole, you're too fucking warm," and heavy, but calling attention to the fact that the larger blond was straddling and pinning him would lead to admitting to himself that he kind of liked it.

"Warm, really? I split your lip and your only complaint on the subject is that I'm too hot?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Got a problem with it, Seifer?"

"You're not much fun to knock around anymore, you know that? You could at least pretend to be interested in what's going on," the boy with ice-colored eyes returned irascibly, standing and stepping away from him.

"It's not my fault you're boring when all you do is fight me. Think it'd kill you to do something different once in a while?" He spat back, wiping the blood off his chin as he pushed himself to his feet.

"No, guess it wouldn't."

Hayner honestly thought that meant he was going to leave him alone, not jerk him forward and kiss him, and maybe that was his mistake. One he was willing to make as many times and as often as necessary. Dazed, he just blinks blankly at the other teen when he pulls away with a smirk.

"You wanna get ice cream then?" The taller boy asked, something bright about his half-smile.

"Yeah, I really do, actually."

And apparently it was just that easy for all their violent unresolved sexual tension to shift into them dating, not that you'd find him complaining.

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><p>We've passed 75 prompts~<p> 


	30. Go

So I totally took a two-week unannounced hiatus, didn't I? Sorry, things have just been pretty hectic, and this collection has taken the back burner in favor of my largest multichapter. Really need to get another chapter of that one done and submitted before someone eviscerates me. I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things with more drabbles and less longish ficlets or oneshots or what have you. I really do apologize. /skitters away

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>030. Go<p>

Retreat wasn't something Seifer handled well, which is to say he couldn't deal with it at all. So when Sora told him to run as they were overcome by Heartless, he refused. Roxas and some guy named Axel were running through the town trying to round up the populace, knowing they were fighting a losing battle, while the keyblade master and his boyfriend, Riku, tried to hold the train station. The trains themselves had been magicked to carry their passengers to another world entirely, safely out of the reach of the vicious monsters that he was currently being attacked by. Silvery creatures joined them, moving languidly and slicing at him with their arms, Sora shouting something about them being Nobodies. Having long given up on understanding half of the shit that was going on, he ignored the questions he had about them in favor of cutting them down.

"Seifer, listen to me, you have to _go_! Your friends should have come back by now, something's happened to them," the brunet yelled over the din of blades connecting with semi-corporeal bodies.

Fuu and Rai had gone to get the remaining three-quarters of the Usual Spot crew, promising Roxas they'd take care of them so he could do his job without the distraction of worry for his best friends. Taking off in the direction the two went, he tried not to think about what could have happened to them to slow them down, tried not to think about Hayner's penchant for being a hero. Stupid damn kid was probably going to get himself killed. _Shit_.

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><p>Hayner could admit he was lacking a little in the common sense department when it came to his safety, hell, he was proud of it. This, however, was so far beyond swimming in the dark or skating a half-pipe without a helmet it could no longer be considered the act of a sane person. Namine whimpered every time his strained half-run jostled her broken leg, blood running down the side of her face from a slash on her temple. The irony that the blond girl was wearing a white dress and he was carrying her through the streets bridal-style wasn't lost on him, and if he wasn't in mortal danger he would probably laugh. Fuujin was at his back, casting wind spells intermittently to hold the shadows and silver puppet-like creatures at bay as they made a path to the train station. Every once in a while he could hear the crash of one of Rai's thunder spells from several blocks away. The two groups had been separated by the creatures, Olette and Pence with the dark-skinned man and Hayner with the two other girls.<p>

The sky above them was darkening even though it was hours before nightfall and there was no storm predicted, and he knew they were quite simply running out of time. The monsters were gaining in numbers and aggression and there was tenseness in the air that made him incredibly nervous. Namine seemed to be fading fast, throwing an ice spell at a group of shadows to clear the way in front of him before closing her eyes. A group he knew from around town were running to catch up to them, a few firing guns into the enemies to push them back. One of the women in the group approached him, asking if he needed help carrying the nearly-unconscious girl. Nodding, because there was no doubt the large man at her back could carry the slight blond better than he could, he let him take Namine out of his arms. There were enough armed women in the group that he knew nothing would befall her.

He fell into the cluster of people at the rear, Fuu in front to help mow down the obstacles in their path. Glancing up at what sounded like strange bird cries, he was shocked to see dragon-like creatures larger than a person careening through the sky, appearance cloaked by the black sky above. The lithe blond had just enough time to get to the silver-haired girl as the group scattered in panic before the monsters were dive-bombing them, sharp claws tearing at flesh. Apparently smart enough to identify threats, one of them headed directly for Fuujin, talons out. On instinct he pushed her out of the way and brought his arms up to protect himself, blood pounding in his ears. The muscular claws wrapped around his forearm and the beast proceeded to flap its wings with enough speed to lift them both off the ground. It seemed to be struggling to keep the both of them up in the air as he was carried off, another grabbing onto the back of his vest, sharp talons cutting into his back. Looking back at the group, it seemed like they had things under control for the moment, moving once again toward the train station, which appeared to be the very direction in which he was headed.

The idea of stabbing the creatures with the knife in his pocket crossed his mind, but since he was four stories up with nothing softer than concrete to land on, he opted to find some other way to escape. Looking in the direction they seemed to be haphazardly carrying him, he saw the Clock Tower, veiled in swirling shadows. Within seconds the darkness coalesced into a massive dragon, black, sinuous body wrapped around the tower. Its wings stretched out into eternity, blocking out the sky, claws clinging to the side of the structure as it observed Hayner with diamond-shaped pupils set in green eyes. It was immediately distracted by something going on at ground level, reptilian head pointing down and maw opening to roar. Glancing down, he saw Seifer leading the pack to the station inside the tower, Sora and his friend fighting back the monsters.

The dragons dropped him off on one of the extensions that held the bells and he nearly lost his balance and fell, seconds of pulse-pounding terror before he righted himself. As far as he could figure he was supposed to be food for the monster in front of him, which had apparently stopped caring about the others below in favor of reaching its massive head out to sniff him. Acrid-smelling darkness dripped off its fangs, falling to the streets below. Turning his attention below him as the sounds of fighting cease, he saw Sora and his companion clasp each other's forearms, followed by a burst of light. The brunet boy, in different colored clothes, shot through the air toward the dragon, twin keys floating at his sides. He slashed at the monster, distracting it from Hayner for the moment, and after a few more blows it seemed to stagger, twining itself around the other side of the tower, away from the keyblader.

"Hayner, take my hand!" the blue-eyed boy shouted, reaching out to him.

Just as he was about to do just that, the massive creature snatched Sora up in one of its huge claws. Face contorting in pain, he cut at the heavily armored skin with his keyblades to no avail. As he often did when it came to his friends, Hayner made a snap decision that would likely get him killed, grabbing his knife and throwing it straight into the viper-like eye of the gigantic creature. With a shriek that temporarily deafened him, it let go of Sora and made a wild swipe at the blond, forcing him to jump backwards to avoid being eviscerated, the arm of the clock he had been standing on crumbling. The other boy was similarly knocked away by flailing claws, careening away from the tower. Falling fast, he wondered if the landing itself would kill him, or if the injuries he incurred from it would later.

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><p>Breath catching in his throat as he watched Hayner fall, he knew he only had one chance to grab the smaller teen and get him out of the way of the crumbling Clock Tower, huge pieces of it sloughing off under the rampage of the massive Heartless wrapped around it. Ignoring the panicked screams of people around him, he started running toward where his young friend would land, dodging falling rubble along the way. Catching the brown-eyed blond was more like letting him fall on top of Seifer, bringing them both crashing to the ground with a collective grunt. The bully was just lucky the lithe man wasn't heavier, and that the fall had only been a few stories.<p>

"You okay Seif? The hell did you do that for?" Hayner asked as he rolled off the muscular gunblade-wielder.

"Could say the same to you, moron. Not happy with trying to get yourself killed to protect someone else just once in a five minute period?" Seifer asked irritably, sitting up and looking down at him.

"Is Sora alright?"

"Yes, everyone is fine, he's up there fused with Riku fighting that Heartless. Come on, Roxas and Axel have returned, which means we need to be on a train out of here," he explained, standing and offering his companion a hand up.

"What about everyone else in Twilight?"

"Do you have anything to say to me that isn't a question? Everyone else…well, if Sora and his friends can save all the worlds, they'll be safe."

"I'm not a kid, Seifer, you don't have to lie to me. Anyone who is left behind will turn into a…Heartless, is that what you called them? I already saw that happen to a few people."

Frowning, he hoped Roxas had managed to find Hayner's mom, the kid would be miserable if she wasn't around. Grabbing his wrist, he pulled the smaller boy into the train station, careful to look above him for falling debris from Sora's fight above. Understandably, the fighters and the Usual Spot crew were on the last train to leave, bringing up the rear in case any monsters made it onto the train. Shoving the other ahead of him, he noticed dark marks on the teen's vest and shirt.

"Why didn't you tell me you were bleeding, chickie?"

"Am I? Must've happened when those dragon things grabbed me."

Turning to a redhead that was healing Namine, who could have been her twin for how similar they looked, he asked her to help Hayner if she could. Ignoring the glare he got from the shorter blond, he sat down next to Fuu and Rai, setting Hyperion down behind him. He wasn't sure how he knew the blade's name, but it just felt right, and it wasn't like anything else had made more sense lately. Healed and tired, the brown-eyed boy sat down next to him instead of beside his friends, though none of them reacted.

"Thanks for catching me, by the way."

"No problem, Hay. Thanks for protecting Fuu. You alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Just…tired."

Once they were underway, Sora flew down and landed haphazardly on the roof, swinging in through the open back door and immediately separating into two people. The silver-haired boy was introduced as Riku and the other girl as Kairi to the people who didn't know them yet, and they both sat next to her on the train. The brunet crawled into the other boy's lap, resting his head in the gap between Riku's neck and shoulder. Roxas was just as edgy as ever, both keyblades still resting in his hands, while Axel had magicked away his weapons several minutes ago. It was quiet and tense, everyone exhausted and fearful for the future. Hayner hadn't asked after his mom yet, but Seifer had to assume it was because Roxas, the blunt kid he was, would have said something if she wasn't around anymore.

The tan skater slumped against him after a few minutes, half-asleep, and the bully sighed and bit the bullet. Pulling the other into his lap, he wrapped his arms around the slight teen. It was hardly surprising to him when Hayner relaxed into him; they had too much shit to deal with to bother with trying to continue pretending to hate each other. With the world literally falling apart around them their mutual affection hardly seemed like a problem anymore, just something to accept and move on. By the continued non-reaction of all the sandy-blond's friends, they expected as much. Twining a hand into Hayner's hair, he closed his eyes and focused on the silver lining to all this.


	31. Ring

Just grabbed a random prompt off my list I felt I could write a short, sweet little cop-out drabble for you guys. Still working on another prompt, but I get the feeling it'll be much longer than I planned, so...Anyway, enjoy!

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: G

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><p>031. Ring<p>

It took people about a week to get up the courage to start asking Seifer about the ring he had begun wearing on a chain around his neck. It was nondescript, just a plain silver band on a matching chain, but apparently it was interesting just by virtue of him wearing it. Smirking, he declined to answer, knowing it was none of their fucking business in the first place, and they'd probably figure it out themselves in another week or so. Even high school students weren't that dense.

They started to guess, whispering under their breath during passing times when they thought he wasn't paying attention. Most seemed of the opinion he had a girlfriend now, or something in a similar vein. When one of the girls suggested he was dating Fuu, he couldn't stop himself from turning on his heel, walking up to her, and informing her just how stupid she was. For one, she and Rai were pretty much soulmates, and for another she was practically his sister, that shit was just creepy. The majority thought he was dating Rinoa, which was quite upsetting considering he would never lower his standards that much. The vapid girl didn't even try to deny the rumors, which was further irritation.

A week later, just as he guessed, a few people noticed that Hayner was wearing a ring on a chain around his neck too. Coupled with how much more time they were spending together, it didn't take much to do the math, though quite a few people still didn't believe it. He supposed there was just no way to fix stupid and was all too happy to ignore them. Taking another bite of his ice cream, he hooked an arm around his boyfriend and smirked. The brown-eyed teen was sitting between his legs at the edge of the dock they were watching the sunset on. It was a quiet date, mostly just relaxing and spending time together, but he preferred it that way. They'd both had enough of being loud and violent with one another.


	32. Magic

Sorry for the late one guys, the doc manager wouldn't work for me all yesterday, stupid thing.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>032. Magic<p>

Around the age of five Hayner learned he could do things most people couldn't, and it scared him so bad he didn't speak of it or try it again for over ten years. Lighting a tree on fire and have it come very close to burning your house down does that to a kid, he guessed. It seemed like magical ability didn't atrophy, in fact it seemed to get stronger over time. By the age of fifteen he could see whether anyone around him had it either. Roxas was practically glowing with the stuff, though when he asked the other teen about it he got a look of complete confusion, so he had to guess he had no idea yet. Every member of the Disciplinary Committee had some, though predictably Seifer was the strongest. It didn't seem like he could see Hayner's ability, though he definitely had been using magic. His aura was more developed than the others, and that only came from use.

"The hell are you staring at me for, chickenwuss?"

Snapping out of this thoughts, he realized he'd been looking at the other too long, "Don't flatter yourself, jackass."

Seifer walked over to him anyway, body language challenging. He had already just been leaning up against a wall in one of the tunnels to escape the heat while he waited for Olette and Pence to finish shopping, so at the very least it required little effort to end up backed in a corner. Feeling the beginnings of anger, because it pissed him off to be cornered, he glared at his rival as the older boy fisted a hand in his shirt.

"You've been watching me way too much lately, what the fuck is your problem? Didn't your mom teach you it's not polite to stare?"

And maybe it was because he was in a bad state of mind, but he spat, "Why, did yours?"

In that instant the bully went from irritated to murderous, fist already drawing back to punch him. Something inside him snapped, and instead of just taking the hit like he had so many times before, he sent the other flying with a gust of wind. Feeling the bottom of his stomach drop out, he watched the blue-eyed teen stare up at him, stunned.

"You can use magic?"

Completely unwilling to deal with this right now, he ignored the other and took off. Seifer's voice calling after him echoed through the tunnels, but he kept going. He could have killed the scarred blond just now, if it had been a fire or lightning spell he'd let loose instead. It was completely unacceptable to lose control like that, and he opted to get as far away from people as he could manage until he'd calmed down enough to be sure he wasn't going to electrocute someone accidentally. The downside of not using his abilities for so long was that he had no idea how or why he'd suddenly cast a spell without thinking about it. If he didn't know what had triggered it, he had no way to prevent it from happening again.

Taking a deep breath once he was on top of the Clock Tower, he sat against the wall that held the face. His heart was pounding, and to make matters worse, he knew it was only a matter of time until Seifer found him and made him deal with this. Even if he wasn't looking for Hayner right now, it was impossible to avoid him forever. If the brown-eyed teen never left the house again he would just show up on his doorstep and his mother would let the bully in with a smile because she knew he adored the guy. Fuck his life so much. Sighing, he put his head in his hands and tried to focus on absolutely nothing, clearing his mind usually helped suppress the magic.

Twenty minutes later he heard footsteps on the stairs up to the balcony he was sitting on, and he had a feeling he knew exactly who it was. A glance confirmed it was indeed then person he'd just gotten done running away from, here to either fight or interrogate him most likely. Seifer sat down next to him, their shoulders brushing briefly, and it made him bristle.

"Took me a while to find you. So tell me, why did you run away, chickadee?" He asked softly, voice low and easy.

It was strange for him to use that particular nickname, Hayner could count on one hand the number of times he'd heard it before. All of them involved the slighter boy being injured badly enough to need hospitalization, most of the occasions caused by someone other than Seifer.

"Because I'd just attacked you, and I had no idea why. I've never had a problem with it since the first time. I'm sorry, about earlier, didn't mean to say that."

"So how long have you been able to use it, and why haven't you?"

"Since I was five, and because the first time I nearly burnt my house down. That sorta thing kinda turns you off doing it. I've just been hoping that it would go away if I never used it, but it just keeps getting worse."

"So because of one mishap when you were a little kid you've been avoiding it for eleven years in the hopes you'd never have to deal with it again? Magic doesn't work like that, Hayner, if you bottle it up it will eventually explode. Like what happened today. Next time it might not be a harmless spell you accidentally use. Is that why you've been staring at me lately?"

"Yeah, I know all three of you can use it, I can see it. You use it enough that your aura has changed, if that makes sense. Sorry, don't mean to, it just sorta happens."

"You really know nothing about magic and magic users, do you? It's not uncommon for magic users to fixate on people, like an obsession only less creepy. Probably why you find yourself staring at me all the time. You probably have no idea why that happens either, do you?"

"No, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me."

"Such a little brat. Long story short, it means you're in love with me."

"I…but…How do you know?"

"Thought so. There's more than one reason, but I figured that was the most likely. Love you too, dumbass. Come on, there's a lot more you need to learn so you don't end up killing someone the next time you get pissed off," he returned with the same arrogance and ease he did everything else, grabbing the shorter blond's arm and pulling him up.

"What the hell Seif, where are you taking me?" He asked as he was dragged back down the stairs.

"To train, idiot. If you don't use your abilities, you won't be able to control them."

Sighing, he let himself be led, Seifer moving his grip from his companion's arm to his hand, lacing their fingers together. It was odd that this was the way their feelings came out in the open, but it was a lot better of an outcome than any of the others he had assumed. Maybe magic wasn't entirely bad, fires and fights aside.


	33. Wrong

Since fanfiction cocked up their uploader and I couldn't get 032 out until today, doing two in one day to catch up. Not remotely going in order any more, just doing whichever ones I think I can manage to write in an hour or less. Hopefully will be back on track soonish. Far as I know, next person to review this story will be the 100th reviewer.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17 (the reviewer formerly known as LoveUnderAMidnightSky17)

Rating: T

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><p>033. Wrong<p>

Seifer had briefly considered strangling Hayner several times, ever since the incident a month ago. They were at a dorm party where everyone was varying levels of drunk, and when the younger college student bumped into him, literally, he'd leaned down and kissed him. It was sloppy and slow and kind of perfect in a way it shouldn't have been. For one, he generally didn't date guys, and for another, this was _Hayner,_ his high school rival. But despite all the reasons it shouldn't have happened or been enjoyable, every time he kissed someone after that it had felt wrong. It was the most asinine thing ever, but no matter how attractive or smart or into him a girl was, when he kissed her it was like someone dumped a bucket of water on him.

After a month of this he was pissed enough to do something about it. Knocking on the smaller man's dorm door, he was surprised to find him alone; Roxas out with his boyfriend for the night.

"What do you want, Seifer?" He asked as he leaned against the threshold, arms crossed on his chest.

"Gonna invite me in, or are we going to have this conversation in the hallway?"

Rolling his eyes, he stepped back and let the other in, shutting the door behind them, "So?"

Giving up on the conversation part of his plan, he just grabbed the nineteen year-old and threw him up against the narrow entryway, sealing through mouths together roughly. The other didn't resist, in fact after an instant of surprise he started kissing back. Winding his fingers into the gelled up sandy-blond hair, he deepened the kiss, startled to find it felt right. It would work out this way, wouldn't it? He'd just have to end up stuck with the lithe man he taunted and fought with for the majority of their time together.

"You bastard, I think about you all the fucking time," he swore in a low voice against Hayner's lips.

"Welcome to my world, asshole. Gonna do something about it, or are we just going to meet every week or so and make out like teenagers in my dorm room?"

"Since I can't fucking be with anyone else without it feeling wrong, you're just going to have to date me. Dammit Hayner, why the hell do you do this to me?"

"Dunno, the unresolved sexual tension must have finally gotten to you," the freshman returned before slamming him against the opposite wall and leaning in with a sly smirk, "My roommate won't be back for at least three hours, by the way."

"Well, in that case," he trailed off, kissing the younger blond instead of continuing.


	34. Blind

Perhaps odd characterization, but I don't see it as necessarily off the mark.

Theme provided by: Aomoa

Rating: T

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><p>034. Blind<p>

Hayner was far from blind. Olette was incredibly bright, Pence took pictures of everything and noticed physical things no one else did, and Roxas somehow managed to be the gentlest guy with massive anger issues ever. But what no one really realized was that Hayner read people like a book, it didn't take him but five minutes to figure out what made the vast majority of his classmates tick. Because he understood people so well, it was easy to deceive them. Act like an idiot with a bad attitude and everyone wrote you off as harmless on an intellectual level. No one was wary of him, so they let him see more of their true selves than they should have. Seifer was particularly bad at this, he let his mask slip almost constantly in front of his rival.

The brown-eyed teen was pretty sure the bully with ice-colored eyes never actually thought he was stupid, just didn't consider him particularly clever or devious. If Hayner was a more sinister brand of person he would have sorely regretted making that mistake by now, but the younger never planned on using what he'd seen against his pissy companion. Despite all their fights and animosity, he didn't want to hurt Seifer in any real way. As far as he was concerned, the other had taken enough emotional hits over the course of his life to pretty much cover it. As it stood he just knew exactly how far to take verbal fights so they would escalate into something physical, and stopped just there. They punched their aggression out and went back to the status quo, it was a decent system.

Before long, he noticed the older boy acting differently toward him, less violent. He was still physical of course, but their fights involved a lot more of pinning him to vertical objects or straddling him on the ground. Not bad strategies in and of themselves, but out of character for him. He was the sort of fighter to move in for strikes, possibly staying within range, but never restraining the opponent to win. Quite simply he didn't have the physical size for it with most opponents, and even Hayner could have escaped if he actually cared enough to. There was another obvious reason for the close quarters, one he didn't think was so far-fetched when he observed Seifer's reaction to him when he thought the younger teen wasn't looking. He would sometimes smile, or just simply watch the other with interest. It was subtle, but he had a feeling he knew what it meant regardless.

"I'm not blind, you know," he commented offhandly, Seifer's arms on either side of his head and the senior in his personal space.

"What do you mean, lamer?"

"You know damn well what I mean, quit it. Mind games were never your strong suit, that's more my gig and I think we're both aware of that."

"I had noticed, yeah. So, judging by the tone of your voice, you won't mind if I do this," he returned before leaning down the four or so inches to kiss him, as his body language had clearly shown he'd wanted to from the beginning of their confrontation.

"So, how long have you known?" The bully asked when he pulled away, pale eyes curious.

"A long time, and let's leave it at that. I've just been waiting for you to see it."

The older male just smirked and leaned back down.


	35. Fever

Pre-slash.

Theme provided by: Kioko Yasu

Rating: G

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><p>035. Fever<p>

Seifer lived on his own, his adoptive parents having sent him to Twilight Town after he'd nearly gotten killed fighting in his home city of Traverse. They still had to work in the city, deciding it was just easier to set him up in an apartment after he'd manage to convince them he could handle living alone. He was sixteen after all, he didn't need anyone holding his hand. His old friends had moved to the same place just a year prior, so he wasn't completely alone in the new town.

But despite his connection with his posse, he was still the only one responsible for himself, and as such there was no one around to tell him he should stay home from school if he was sick. He wasn't necessarily a good student, but he skipped when he actually had something to do, and today was not one of those days. Both Fuu and Rai were absent, along with close to half of most of his classes, apparently the flu was particularly virulent this year. Hayner, of course, was in perfect health and all too chipper for the bully's tastes. If he didn't feel so dizzy he would have punched the sandy-blond on principle.

He knew at some point he had started running a fever, because by the end of the day he had his chills nearly timed. Sitting down on a bench in the Sandlot to catch his breath, still having half a mile to go before he got home, he sighed. Leave it to a microscopic non-living thing to weaken him to the point where he struggled to walk. He could handle a guy twice his size easily, but not a flood of viruses in his blood stream and the immune response to them. It was a fascinating perpetual irony about multicellular life in general. Closing his eyes for just a moment, he slipped away.

* * *

><p>When he woke up, his mouth was dry, his head ached, and he was in his bed. Confused, he sat up, discovering it was noon and judging by the sounds from outside his room, he wasn't alone. Standing unsteadily, he walked out towards his kitchen, finding none other than Hayner Dincht in his kitchen making soup. Blinking, certain he was having a fever dream, he stood there for several seconds before the younger blond turned to find him.<p>

"You're still alive. It's Thursday, by the way, you've been in and out for almost two whole days," he explained simply, face betraying no knowledge of how ridiculous him even being here was.

"So, what, you carried me home and decided to play nurse?" He asked, incredulous.

"More like dragged, you're pretty heavy. Also stupid, showing up to school as sick as you were. Fuu and Rai are in similar condition, so they couldn't take care of you, and I wasn't about to just leave you here to die. You were pretty delirious from fever for twelve hours before it finally broke, I'd be surprised if you remember being awake then. My mom called me in today."

"Even if you felt an obligation to help me because I was sick, I thought you hated me, why would you stay here with me after my fever broke?"

"Why on earth would you think I hated you? Just because we fight doesn't mean we hate each other, hell, sometimes I'd call us friends. How are you feeling now, hungry?"

"Yeah, actually. I still don't get you though."

They ate in relative silence, Seifer honestly not knowing what to say. It was absurd for anyone to go this far for a person they barely knew, even more so when he considered how little he had done to help the other in the past. Saving him from a few nasty fights was hardly on the same level as taking care of the scarred man for almost two days. Ignoring it lest he worsen his headache, he let the smaller teen shove him back towards his bedroom once they were done eating. Smirking, the larger of the two dragged him into the bed with him, holding him down until he stopped struggling. If he knew Hayner, the other hadn't slept much if at all since they'd gotten here.

"If you don't rest you'll just get sick too, chickie."

"You're going to get your germs on me, weirdo," he huffed half-heartedly.

"Considering half the student body is sick and you've been taking care of me besides, pretty damn late for that. Only thing you can do now is get enough sleep to fight it off."

He settled down and curled up slightly in Seifer's arms, and though the bully didn't originally intend to sleep quite like this, he found he didn't really mind. Exhausted, it was easy for him to drift back off.

* * *

><p>Hayner left the next morning once he was sure the blue-eyed teen was well enough to survive on his own. They didn't talk about the whole incident again, at least not specifically, but things were much more amiable between them. And when the tan skater was home sick the next week, it didn't surprise anyone when Seifer showed up at his house to return the favor. It was pretty much his fault the other was sick, after all.<p> 


	36. Butterfly Wings

Short short short.

Theme provided by: Katrinaeagle

Rating: G

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><p>036. Butterfly Wings<p>

Hayner smiled as yet another butterfly landed on his shoulder as he sat alone on a fallen tree in the small clearing. Most people avoided the dark forest just outside the walls of Twilight Town, unless they were going to the haunted mansion, but he liked coming here when he needed a moment alone. This particular area, much further in than anyone went, was blanketed in flowers clinging to life in the rare patch of sunlight, and as such attracted dozens of the delicate insects. He loved butterflies, and not in the 'kill them and pin them to something' way. Even more fragile than the wildflowers around him, if he so much as touched the wings of one its scales would rub off, disintegrating into multicolored powder and possibly grounding the creature.

A painted lady landed on his hand, fluttering its wings slowly before closing them for rest. Their stay was always tenuous, the slightest movement, or even none at all, could cause them to flit away again. It reminded him of his relationship with Seifer, of all things. A simple choice of words could determine whether they spent the night fighting or cuddling. It wasn't always the easiest relationship; they were both proud, physical and high-strung. He considered them dating a vast improvement over them punching each other to attempt to resolve the feelings between them, but until they were older he didn't see them getting any more relaxed with each other.

Unlike the butterflies, however, he knew their love was going to be beautiful much longer than a few weeks.


	37. Calling

Full prompt was "late night phone calls" if I remember correctly, shortened it to one word. I hope I took it in an interesting enough direction for you, stormbringer246~

Theme provided by: stormbringer246

Rating: T

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><p>037. Calling<p>

Seifer quirked a private smile as he leaned on the balcony of his beachside home, cell held up to his ear. He was sure the man on the other line could sense the change in his demeanor, but true to form he waited for the scarred man to bring it up rather than pressing. It was something like one in the morning, but there was nothing unusual about that. Their late-night calls had been happening since they each moved away from their hometown six years ago. Seifer himself had become an actor, and a fairly successful one at that considering his age, while Hayner juggled photography, journalism, and script-writing to pay his rent and keep him entertained. The older blond was always impressed with what he could do with a pencil or a camera, several of the brown-eyed man's pieces decorated his walls and he refused to do interviews with anyone but a major network or his friend.

"So, I'm getting a divorce," he said finally, the smile never falling from his face.

"Really? And what brought that on?"

"You mean other than my wife being a vapid psychopath? She cheated on me with Squall, and she wants to break things off so she can marry him. Kinda funny since the ultimatum she gave me was most of the reason I proposed to her in the first place. He can have her, far as I'm concerned," he explained easily, remembering them at twenty-one in college when she told him either he married her or she'd run off with the brunet man because she couldn't stand a man with commitment problems. The irony of the current situation was apparent, but it didn't bother him that much, he never really loved her anyway. He thought he did, but he knew now what love really was.

"I'm not glad she cheated on you, but at least you'll be free of her. That bitch has been a poison in your life since you met her. So, she leaving?"

"Yeah, moving out in the morning to go live with her ice prince. Glad I took your advice and made her sign a pre-nup. Just because she's marrying a rockstar doesn't mean she wouldn't try to snatch up my shit."

"I don't doubt it. Still can't believe you ever liked her, but we were all young and stupid once," the sandy-blond responded smoothly, the insult gentle but meaningful.

"I was thinking you should move in, since she's out of the way and all."

There was a short pause on the other line, even though they had both been expecting this for a long time, "Sounds good to me, so long as you help me move. You like dogs, don't you?"

"I'll love anything you bring with you, Hay."

His ex-wife may have had an intimate affair behind his back and decided to marry the person she was sleeping with, but if he were to be truthful he'd been cheating on her emotionally beginning shortly after they tied the knot. Seifer had been in love with someone else for years and was only now really doing something about it. In the end he didn't know why he hadn't tried to get rid of her sooner, maybe he was just too scared to before. Of what exactly he couldn't be sure, but that was probably as close to an explanation as he was going to come.

"How soon before pictures of us together end up on the tabs?" The twenty-five year-old joked, voice light.

"The day you get here, if everything goes according to plan. How soon can you cancel your lease?"

"This morning if I tell the landlady I'm going to go live with my 'secret boyfriend' as she calls you. Pretty sharp woman, also adores me."

"It's not hard, you are pretty adorable, chickadee."

"Such a charmer. When did you want me to move-"

"This afternoon, if you can. It's only, what, a hundred-mile drive? I'll come pick you and your dogs up, and I have a buddy with a moving business who will handle the rest," he cut his other half off.

Hayner just laughed, "Always so impatient. I guess I should be surprised you're not driving to get me now. What time can I expect you?"

"If I leave as soon as she does, around two in the afternoon. That work for you?"

"Really great, actually. You still have some of my clothes there, or do I have to pack some?"

"Yeah, I do, and even if I didn't I'd just buy you some. If you don't recall, I do make a bit more than you per year."

"Rub it in asshole, we both know you're just a pretty face, at least what I do takes talent," the younger returned, joking.

"You love my pretty face."

"I do, I'll admit. Love the guy behind it more."

"Love you too Hay, I'll see you later today then?"

"Yeah, see you. Drive safe, will you?"

Agreeing, he hung up the phone and walked back inside to the master bedroom, taking a moment to note the way none of his ex-wife's things were here anymore. It was clean, relaxing, having more items of Hayner's than hers. Walking over to his bedside table, he picked up the lone picture frame there with a photo of the brown-eyed man and himself, smiling at the beach one of the first times the other had visited. It was before his first movie, just after he'd married Rinoa, and he couldn't say he missed those days at all. The black-haired woman had been hanging over his life like a funeral veil since he'd met her, Hayner wasn't wrong about that. He was determined to make the next chapter of his life a brighter one, to share it with the one person he really loved and be open about his relationship with the rest of the world so maybe they'd leave him alone. Tabs didn't like spewing dirty little secrets that were broadcast to everyone. It was likely he'd be turned down for roles simply for having a homosexual relationship, but he didn't mind. Gay actors were becoming more and more accepted as established names came out, at least.

Heading to bed, he wondered what life with dogs would be like. He knew their names, Damon and Ella, and if he remembered correctly they were a black and chocolate lab respectively. The actor had never actually seen them, when they got together it was always the other that had come over and he'd had someone take care of them. Rinoa hated animals, which didn't surprise him considering how caustic she was in general. Smiling, he closed his eyes and fell asleep quickly.

* * *

><p>He woke up to the sound of the bitch screaming at her new victim to hurry up, carrying her clothing and possessions for her. Smirking, he rolled out of bed and threw on a shirt, not even bothering to run a hand through his hair. There was no one he needed to impress today, and he was of half a mind not to even see her out. He said a strained and bored goodbye to both of them anyway before grabbing his car keys, phone and wallet and heading out to his car.<p>

The drive over was uneventful, it was late enough that traffic wasn't as killer as he was used to and it was much more tolerable for it. It was a decent day for Destiny Islands, not too hot and no tropical storms blowing over. Hayner didn't live on the islands, rather in the city that featured the bridge connecting the archipelago to the mainland. Radiant garden was an interesting urban center with a mix of old and new architecture, skyscrapers standing vigil next to historic buildings over a hundred years old.

He'd picked up his companion more than a few times, so it wasn't difficult to find the way to his apartment. Pulling up in front of the small complex, he found the journalist sitting on the steps with a messenger bag that probably contained his laptop and camera, dogs beside him. His teeth flashed when he smiled, standing up and walking over to the car. Pulling the back door open, he let the dogs jump in, immediately sniffing Seifer and one trying to lick his hand as he pet it. Their owner slid into the passenger seat, chocolate-colored eyes watching him.

"Hey," the older of them said, smirking at him, relaxed.

"Hey."

He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend, slow and simple. Winding his hand into the short, wavy spikes, he smiled against Hayner's lips and pressed their foreheads together. The process of dealing with the media storm involving his divorce and new relationship would be difficult to weather, but they were both older and wiser now. They'd manage it, just as the two of them had managed the distance and people between them and still come out together in the end.


	38. Tears

I have a love/hate relationship with the English language. Too many issues to mention, but a big one is the fact that we have a million different words for the same obscure thing, but only one word for two or more things that are completely different and common use. I did enjoy having two ways to interpret this prompt though, so there is a bright spot in that dismal reality.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>038. Tears<p>

He shouldn't have been able to, but Hayner had started seeing little tears in reality. Flitting images at the edges of his vision, dreams that felt too real to be ignored, monsters with yellow eyes peeking out of the night before disappearing. He fully assumed he was just going fucking crazy until he saw Roxas looking in the same directions, jumping at sounds the other two of their group didn't seem to hear. Their eyes had met briefly and that was all it took for him to understand he wasn't alone. Collective hallucinations were psychologically impossible, multi-sense collective hallucinations even more so, if they were both experiencing the same phenomena it was actually happening. Other people either tuned it out or just refused to accept it.

Walking home after the sun had set, he watched the shadows of the buildings out of the corner of his eye warily, not sure if knowing about the things beforehand would actually help him if they decided to do something. He heard someone yell his name and stopped, turning to the figure approaching and failing to hide his shock when none other than Seifer emerged into the faint moonlight. Tensing, he was expecting a fight, but the other just walked up to him, a curious expression on his face. They both looked to the side when one of the creatures blinked in and out of existence, just there long enough for them to see it before it hid or fell back behind the veil again.

"So you see them too?" Seifer asked, face impassive.

"Yeah. What do you want, Seifer? I'm not in the mood to fight."

"Me neither, idiot. I just wanted to see you home, it's not exactly safe to walk alone anymore."

"Can we just…not fight anymore in general?"

The blue-eyed blond shot him a sidelong glance as they walked together before nodding. Quirking his lips in a strange smile, he grabbed the smaller teen's hand and laced their fingers together. He had no idea what the gesture meant, and if he had to guess neither of them did, but it felt…nice. Things were getting more fucked up by the minute, but at least they all had each other. That was all that really mattered.


	39. Stop

Weird glimpse of an AU.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: T

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><p>039. Stop<p>

It was the last stop on the route, that was the only reason Seifer got off here. It was a poetic metaphor for his life, a forced dead end full of darkness. There was a young man under a street lamp just beyond the station, smoke curling from a cigarette dangling precariously from his lips. He was pretty; tall and lean, wavy dark blond hair spiked up, dark eyes watching the scarred man with vague wariness. It wouldn't surprise the taller man at all if he was armed, the dark leather jacket and faded, torn jeans telling him this kid wasn't a stranger to the streets. He was just nondescript enough to fade from memory easily, but not so much as to seem suspicious.

"Hey, you're new, aren't you?" He asked, stepping away from the light post and pulling the cigarette away from his mouth.

"Yeah, what's it to you?"

"Don't get a lot of people like you in the underground. I assume you're only here because you had nowhere else to go?"

"Xemnas doesn't really approve of 'people like me', as you put it. I'm not a proper law-abiding citizen according to his rules. So, it was either get killed or come live where all the other people he didn't like were forced to go. Same thing for you, right?"

"Yep. Name's Hayner."

"Seifer. What's your angle?" He asked, knowing there was some reason the other man had chosen to chat him up.

"Don't play dumb, you should be able to tell by now. Or don't you know? If you've been uptown all this time I guess you couldn't. Tell me, would you normally talk to a stranger you met at a train stop in this part of the city?"

Blinking, he realized Hayner had a point, "No, guess I wouldn't. What are you talking about though?"

"Easier if I show you. Give me your right hand. Don't give me that look, if I was going to hurt you I would have shot you three minutes ago."

Grudgingly deciding he could probably trust this stranger for the time being, he did as he was told, curiosity getting the better of him. The lithe blond met him, grasping his hand firmly. The backs of their hands glowed with a symbol briefly and he felt an odd warm sensation flow from it, still no closer to an answer than he was before. As the symbol faded Hayner let go of his hand, a quiet smile on his face.

"You've been marked since birth by a summon spirit, it's not all that rare anymore. That's what that symbol was, yours and mine are identical."

He knew a little bit about this, from books he wasn't supposed to be reading, "So we're a less quixotic version of soulmates, basically? Combat partners for a war that the spirits plan to wage, I would assume against Xemnas's rule. That was a quickening, right?"

"Right. Releases endorphins, I'm guessing the only reason you haven't flipped your shit over this."

"I'm okay with it, always wanted to fight in a war, guess this was why. Are you upset? You're kinda stuck with me and you don't even know me."

"Fuck no, why would I be upset? Why do you think I was even here tonight? I've been waiting for you for close to a month now, asshole, I'm just glad you finally decided to show up."

"Sorry to keep you waiting then, Hayner. Do you live somewhere down here, or just roam around?" He asked, deciding to just take this in stride. If he could handle Fuu and Rai going missing suddenly and then getting kicked out of his home, he could definitely handle whatever fresh hell this was.

"Come on, I'll show you where I stay. There are other people like us there, so no need to explain anything. Welcome to the underground, Seifer."


	40. Cold

Totally missed a day and have not answered any reviews because I was busy trying to do my homework after work and work on this...thing. I don't know where this came from or where I was going with it but it happened so here it is. Could possibly be a prequel to Protect or Go, or an entirely different AU altogether. Preslashy and oddly Roxas-centric.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: T

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><p>040. Cold<p>

Hayner flinched as he rolled over, knowing his leg was broken without needing to look at it. Looking up, he could see the rotted part of the floor he'd managed to fall through, wondering where the hell he actually was. Sitting up, he shivered, assuming he was below ground just by the temperature drop. It wasn't winter quite yet but it still got cold as fuck at night and he did not appreciate having no coat. Through the lonely beams of light filtering through the cracks in the ceiling he could see the area around him faintly. He recognized the walls of the old mansion on the edge of town, lost as to how he managed to find his way here. He was deeper into the building than he'd ever been before, this area seeming somehow newer and cleaner than the rest of it, and he couldn't see any door he could have gone through.

None of his observations could provide even a flimsy explanation for why his leg was broken or how he managed to get here without any recollection of leaving his house. His cell phone was missing, naturally, meaning he pretty much only had himself to depend on to get out of here. As he tried to get to his feet, favoring his right leg, a dark figure appeared in the corner of the room. Wary, because he knew the person wasn't there before and they were wearing a full-length robe with the hood up, he asked who they were. Their only response was to raise their hand, darkness swirling out from it.

* * *

><p>Waking up much the same way he had before the inky tendrils encompassed him, he glanced around. Confused, he realized his leg was no longer broken, though there was a nasty bruise where it had been. He had a headache and all he wanted was to go home and pretend none of this ever happened, because there was no way this could make sense. Maybe he'd been sleepwalking and hurt his leg and dreamed everything that had happened before, though he'd be kind of impressed if he'd really made it two miles while asleep. Wandering outside, he squinted at the moon, certain there was something wrong with it but unable to place what it was.<p>

"What the fuck Hayner, where have you been?" Seifer asked, jogging out of the woods holding a flashlight.

"What do you mean, Seifer?" He returned, not understanding why him slipping out of the house for a few hours would make him sound so worried. How the hell had anyone even noticed yet?

"It's Wednesday, idiot, you've been missing for three damn days. The whole town has been out looking for you. What the hell happened to you?"

"I don't…I don't know. Last thing I remember is going to bed Sunday night. Then I just woke up on the floor of the entrance of the mansion."

"You're not hurt or anything? Hit your head?" The scarred blond asked, head tilted in curiosity while his expression remained concerned.

"Bruised my leg, but other than that I feel fine. Don't tell me you were actually worried," Hayner answered, finding his behavior out of character from what he knew of the bully.

"You're such a hopeless idiot. You must be cold," he added, avoiding the question entirely as he pulled off his winter jacket and handed it to his rival.

It was heavier than the sleeveless one he wore in the summer months, bright red crosses on the sleeves that he never could puzzle out the meaning of. Pulling it on, because he _was_ freezing his ass off, he wondered why the hell Seifer was being nice to him. If anything he should be pissed at the brown-eyed teen for disappearing because it meant he had to go out and look for him, not genuinely concerned for his well-being. Maybe he was still dreaming or sleepwalking or whatever the hell had happened before.

"Come on, let's get you home. Your mom's been worried sick, along with Pence and Olette," he said with finality, grabbing the shorter boy's hand and tugging him towards the market district.

"What about Roxas?"

"Who is Roxas?" The older of the two responded, voice tinged with confusion.

Blinking, he wondered how the hell Seifer didn't remember the spiky-haired blond that comprised the fourth member of the Usual Spot gang. The other boy was clear in his memory, from the way they boarded together and ate ice cream on the clock tower, to moments as simple as his smile. Frowning, he verbally dismissed it as nothing because obviously something was fucking wrong with the world he woke up in and he'd already brought enough attention to himself by disappearing in the first place. He didn't need people thinking he was crazy too. Glancing back at the old building, he saw the same black-robed figure as before leaning on the gate and watching him leave, the wry smirk on the person's face horribly familiar. He faded into a burst of swirling shadow and dissipated in the direction of the mansion and Hayner faced forward again, the beginnings of understanding forming in his head.

When he'd finally been reunited with his mother and friends, he offered to give Seifer back his coat, only receiving a smirk and instructions to just bring it back to him tomorrow at school. The sandy-blond skater understood that he wanted Hayner to actually show up, rather than suddenly falling off the face of the planet again, and took the gesture at face value. He had too many other problems to deal with to spend his time thinking about why the muscular struggler cared.

* * *

><p>Four days later, when he could finally get a moment alone, he slipped out of his bedroom window and headed back towards the decrepit structure, this time with a coat. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, just that he had to, and that was enough to push him on across the cold distance. The gate, which should have been chained back up by the police, was suspiciously open, and he walked past it having a fairly good guess as to who unlocked it for him.<p>

Following the footprints in the dust to the single open door in the structure, he walked into the impeccably white room, noticing all the drawings on the wall second to the person sitting in one of the chairs at the table. Roxas had the hood to his robe off this time, resting his head on his palm, fingers curled against his chin. He looked tired, his smile sad.

"Why does no one else remember you, Rox?" The taller boy asked, sitting down across from him.

"A girl named Namine. Erased everyone's memories of me, to them I never even existed. Still don't know why it didn't work on you. I apologize about earlier; you were kidnapped by one of my…coworkers. He broke your leg when you fought back, I had to heal it."

"Nice of him. Why would you let her erase all their memories, and why did anyone even care that I still remember? What have you gotten yourself into, Roxas?" He pressed, upset.

"Nothing you wouldn't be furious with me about, I can tell you that. I wanted her to erase me from everyone's lives so you guys wouldn't have to lose me…I might have to go away soon, the kind of away you can't come back from. It's impossible to explain so it's probably best we just leave it at that. You can't stay here much longer, otherwise Axel's going to be mad at me for doing something that could fuck up the plan. I'm sorry, Hay, really I am. I wish I could stay."

"I understand, Rox. Do whatever you need to, just don't do anything stupid, okay? So basically nothing I would do," he said with a grin, adding quietly, "I'll miss you, you know."

"I know you will, and it's kind of…nice. To know that someone will remember that I existed. I'm sorry you have to bear that burden, but I appreciate it."

"No problem, asshole, you know I'd do anything for you. You'd ask for help if you really needed it, wouldn't you?"

"I'd try, at least. Don't worry about me, you'll have enough to deal with. You'd better go, I'll see you around Hay, maybe," he said, trailing off and standing.

He disappeared in a cloud of darkness again, leaving the brown-eyed boy alone again. Sighing, finding the meeting had reassured him of nothing but his sanity, if even that, he turned and headed out the way he came. He nearly tripped when he strode past the gate only to find Seifer leaning on the other side, arms crossed on his chest. The set of his jaw was angry, and his eyes were hard.

"You often make unannounced jogs to abandoned buildings at three in the morning, chickenwuss?"

"What's it to you? Did you follow me here?"

"Yeah, I saw you going through the hole in the wall and wondered what the hell was going on. What's this about? Why would you come back here after what happened?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, go home Seifer, and leave me alone."

He was edgy, the conversation with Roxas settling in his stomach like a rock. It was bad enough to be losing a friend, possibly forever, much worse to be the only one who even remembered them. He didn't have the energy to deal with this shit right now.

"Is this about Roxas? Who is or was Roxas? You don't say weird shit for no reason, that person must matter to you."

"It's not important, you wouldn't understand anyway. For fuck's sake, why do you care?"

"Because I do. If I wouldn't understand, explain it to me. You were gone for three days and I found you in a place the police combed room by room, I'm pretty sure I can accept whatever other batshit things happened to you."

"Fine, you really wanna know? Roxas is my best friend, I've known him since we were in preschool, and everyone else in town knew him too. You two used to fight almost as much as we do. Now I'm the only one who has any memories of him at all. I came back because he helped me here before you found me and I wanted to know why no one else could even remember his name. Happy?"

"Explains a lot, actually. Doesn't make sense, but fits with everything else that's happened recently. I assume, since he isn't going around trying to make people remember who he is, that the memory loss was intentional on his part. My question is why are _you_ keeping this a secret from everyone?"

"'Cause Roxas doesn't want to be found, and it would just be easier if he stayed a shadow. He knows what he's doing and it's been hard enough for him to leave everyone, no reason to make his path more difficult," Hayner explained, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking into the forest with one last glance at the mysterious building.

Seifer followed at his back, and the older blond's silence was growing deafening to his raw nerves. When they passed the point at which he was certain the bully would have to turn to make it to his own home and he just kept going, it got to the point where he had to say something. He wasn't a child; he didn't need to be escorted home. Even if he did, they were already in sight of it.

"Nothing else to say on the matter? I would have assumed you'd make some joke about being crazy by now."

"Don't think you're crazy. Guess I'm just glad it wasn't you that disappeared from everyone's memories."

"Why is that, Seifer?"

"'Cause even if I didn't remember you, I'd miss you," he replied with an unreadable expression before turning and walking down the street towards his home.

Standing on the sidewalk and watching the other fade into the darkness, he wondered if maybe he should take the time to think about just what they meant to each other. Frowning, he walked around to his window and climbed back into his room. Sitting on his bed he began pulling off his clothes, stopping dead when he noticed a small red glass ball on his nightstand that had vanished when everyone forgot about Roxas. Holding it up to the moonlight, he smiled sadly.


	41. Mask

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>041. Mask<p>

Some days it was hard to keep his mask in place, when he was almost too tired to even expend the effort to be the Seifer Almasy everyone but Fuu and Rai knew. He wasn't actually that much of a stoic asshole, but people wanted him to be for whatever reason so he pretended to be, just so they'd leave him the fuck alone. Apparently being remotely approachable meant everyone tried to find out everything they could about you, and he didn't need people prying into his life. Every once in a while, though, he encountered someone who saw through the façade he put up and bothered him anyway. First it was only his two best friends, but a third person had joined that list, and he was currently flat on his back in front of the older blond. They were fighting, and as usual Hayner was losing and refusing to just give up.

"You know what, fuck this. I don't want to deal with you today, lamer," he said with a tired shrug.

"Fine, asshole. If you're really so tired of pretending, why don't you just drop the act around me, at least? You know damn well I can see right through you, so why bother?"

"Just because, chickenwuss."

"You can't depend on your mask to protect you from other people forever. You're slipping, wish you would just fucking talk to me once in a while, might help."

"Nothing to talk about."

Hayner sighed and pushed himself to his feet, brushing himself off carelessly. He looked like there was something still on his mind as he looked to the side, mouth turning down at the corners. It was always hard to tell exactly what was going on behind those dark eyes, if anything it was the younger male that had perfected the art of hiding behind walls. Sometimes Seifer wondered why he needed to, but it wasn't his place to ask or even guess.

"Can I tell you something, Seif?" The change in his voice was noticeable, going deeper and softer.

"Sure, what the hell."

An odd smile flit across his face before he jerked into the scarred boy's personal space and kissed him briefly, just a peck on the lips before he pulled back and took off. Standing there dumbstruck, he blinked a few times before turning to watch the lithe teen's retreating back. He'd been so occupied with trying not to show emotion he'd apparently completely missed his rival's attraction to him. Maybe masks were overrated after all. Smirking, he started heading home, thinking of the best way to corner the brown-eyed boy tomorrow. He needed to inform Hayner of how rude it was not to allow someone to kiss him back when he jumped them.


	42. Unconventional

Everything about this is unconventional. Definitely some different territory for me and not sure how well I executed it but if ficlet collections aren't made for taking risks then nothing is. Also this is late because I've been picking up extra hours to get in some overtime and I've had several papers due this week. /lame excuses

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: High T?

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><p>042. Unconventional<p>

It was no secret that Hayner liked unconventional models, more so than a lot of his peers in the fashion industry. It was also common knowledge that he was as gay as the day was long, and had to be mildly sexually frustrated being surrounded by pretty men all day and being unable to sleep with them. So when an agent brought him a tall, muscular blond man with eyes the color of glaciers and a perfect slanting scar between them, it was a foregone conclusion that he was going to book the man. Especially when Seifer flashed a smirk at him that managed to make him blush like a teenager. He was a twenty-four year-old fashion designer for fuck's sake, not a lanky high school kid. Just because he had been very nearly stalking the man in question for a year or two didn't mean that changed.

Friday night he decided to go out to a club, one of the quieter ones where he could actually hear someone without them yelling if they were beside him. The bartenders here were paid to memorize the preferred drinks of their more famous clientele, so he merely pulled himself onto an empty stool and held a single finger up. The redhead with twin red tattoos below his eyes raised his eyebrows, but complied anyway. Hayner rarely went out drinking unless he had a shitty day, and then he usually ordered shots rather than mixed drinks, but today was different. Reno deposited a rum and coke at his elbow, giving him a flirty smile before disappearing to attend to another customer. Taking a sip, he turned so his back was against the bar, looking out at the dance floor. The press of bodies always fascinated him, the way people moved with animalistic grace when clumped together and given a beat.

He was still wearing his suit from work, and while it would be considered completely unprofessional in most traditional settings it was still formal for this one. Loosening his tie and untucking his shirt, he relaxed a bit. As he finished his first drink, another was set down behind him, which was more than odd because he hadn't asked for it yet. Confused, he glanced back at the bartender, Reno just cocking his head to the left meaningfully with a knowing grin. Looking past the people chatting with each other beside him, he saw none other than Seifer watching him. Unable to fight the urge, he smiled at the other, all the invitation the six-two model needed to walk over and lean on the polished surface, smirking at him again.

The blue-eyed man was wearing a white leather jacket that was probably custom, judging by the unusually personal design and the way it fit him. It was average length, but the sleeves had bright red crosses on them and the collar buckled tightly against his neck. It looked fantastic on him, but it didn't have the familiar ring of any designers Hayner was aware of. He began thinking of something more intelligent to say to him than 'damn you're hot' in response to whatever it was the scarred man opened with. Sleeping with models wasn't uncommon for designers, some even married models, but it wasn't something he did personally. He needed to find some way to explain this to the other without sounding like a jackass.

"You come here often?" He asked with a half-grin, the hopeless pickup line clearly a joke.

"Quite a bit, actually. I take it you don't though, or I probably would have tried to sleep with you before we had a professional relationship."

It was perhaps not the most subtle thing to say, but it got his point across nicely, he thought. Watching the other's grin tilt into a predatory smirk told him this wasn't the kind of man that accepted shitty excuses. He should have guessed just by the way the other carried himself and the sharpness in his eyes that he was a dominating and persistent type.

"You're going to let something like that stop you then?"

"It really should, shouldn't it?" He replied, taking a drink of the alcoholic beverage offered him anyway.

"I don't think so. It's a tragedy that someone as pretty as you hasn't been laid in months just because you live at work and won't sleep with people you work with. Can't be good for your health."

He was momentarily caught off guard by someone like the taller blond complimenting him on his appearance, but recovered, "You fuck all of your designers, or what? I'm not that kind of-"

"I know. And no, I haven't had sex with any of them; I'm not that kind of guy either. Can't this just be two attractive men meeting in a bar and sleeping with each other? This isn't a workplace setting and there is no reason this has to affect our working relationship. You know, I've never met someone so reluctant to have sex with me before."

"So why are you still bothering, Seifer?"

"I'm not the kind to give up on anything I want until I get it. You're interesting, you turn me on, and you're obviously attracted to me, why not let this be easy?"

When the man with ice-colored eyes leaned down to kiss him he let it happen, because if he couldn't convince the other by pointing out they were working together for the moment, he had absolutely no other reason to throw at him and had at some point ceased to care anyway. Practiced hands undid his tie and slipped it off, nimble fingers undoing the buttons on his shirt one by one. As a tongue slid past his lips he groaned, warm hands pressing against his abdomen after shoving his shirt out of the way.

"Not here, asshole," he hissed, pushing the larger man away.

"My place is pretty close, you wanna-"

"_Yes_," the brown-eyed man replied heavily.

It struck him that Seifer was actually strong, a little late considering he'd seen the guy shirtless and he was completely cut, but he hadn't connected the two things until the man literally picked him up and began carrying him out. Waving Reno off, he wondered if anyone had actually recognized either of them and was currently trying to get a shot of them on their camera phones. That would be fantastic to wake up to.

* * *

><p>Rousing slowly, he rolled away from the light streaming through the window to go back to dozing before he realized he was still in Seifer's apartment and should probably make himself scarce sooner rather than later. As much as he appreciated the older man telling him to stay last night, he really didn't want to overstay his welcome. Sitting up, he rolled his eyes at their clothes scattered haphazardly across the floor. Attempting to get out of bed, he squeaked involuntarily when an arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him back.<p>

"Don't recall saying you could leave, chickadee," the larger of the two mumbled, leaning on his side next to Hayner, one hand holding him down.

"No reason for me to stay, is there?"

"I told you, I don't give up on things I want until I get them."

"But you did, we had-"

"Yes, we slept together. But I never said that was all that I wanted," he cut the designer off, nuzzling his neck and behind his ear affectionately.

Oh. _Oh._ He suddenly felt incredibly blind, possibly also stupid. He knew of Seifer long before ever actually attracting him to the label, it wasn't hard to notice someone so unusual. In the last few articles he'd read about the model, when he could distract himself from the pictures long enough to actually read, the blue-eyed man had mentioned he was tired of casual and meaningless relationships. If he'd actually been able to think sometime last night, he would have figured out that Seifer's persistence meant something more than him just being horny. There were a million or two other people in the city he could have slept with last night, most of which would have jumped him, not the other way around.

"So, of all the people in all the bars in the city, why did you choose me? Why would you even assume I was receptive to the idea of a more long-term relationship?" He asked, trying not to sound ungrateful but it was pretty important to him to know.

"Just a bunch of things that by themselves aren't unusual, but combined are rare. For one, you were never once condescending, and a lot of people in your profession can be. You take your job way too seriously, but you don't let your stress bleed into your demeanor and make you a dick. From what I can tell, you also take relationships seriously, your last one lasted for four years and you haven't been in one since. Two and a half years is a long time to be alone."

"And you broke up with your last girlfriend because she didn't take your relationship seriously. Still, there are plenty of other people with all the same qualities you mentioned, and you don't have to work with them."

"True, but none of them are as good-looking as you," the older man replied, biting his neck possessively.

"Isn't it a little early to be marking your territory, sweetheart?" He asked, adding in the pet name in response to the other calling him chickadee earlier.

"You'd be offended if I didn't."

"I absolutely would. Aren't you worried about your image? You're not exactly known for fucking dudes and-"

"You never really leave work, do you? How cute. Quite frankly Hayner, I don't give a fuck. If the state thinks it's okay for same-sex couples to get married, pretty sure people in professions that are very likely to have gays can date each other. This isn't the national football league. The fashion world doesn't give a damn if you're gay, straight, bi, or into having sex with trees, so long as you're either tall and pretty or make very expensive clothing."

"Point. Also, I am not cute at all," he bit back, tracing the man's scar.

"You are to me," Seifer returned, sitting up and leaning over him, pinning both of his shoulders to the bed.

"Just because you're one year older and about a hundred pounds heavier does not mean you can call me cute, sweetheart."

"Totally does, chickadee. You know, you haven't given me much to go off of here. Do you want to date me, or not?"

"I'm still here, aren't I? Now either make me breakfast or fuck me again," he demanded, attention span waning.

"I'd much rather do both," the blue-eyed blond replied easily, leaning down and kissing him roughly, hand winding into his hair.


	43. Missing

Poor Hayner, always getting kidnapped.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: T

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><p>043. Missing<p>

It was a bit odd to him when nearly two full days passed and Hayner hadn't shown up to pick a fight with him, or even been around for Seifer to start something with him, but he brushed it off. That is, until Roxas came up to him on the evening of the second day and explained that the tall skater had gone missing. The police had been looking for him for the past six hours and didn't have any clue what had happened to him yet. This set the bully on edge because missing was a word for people who hadn't returned from a hike and had probably gotten lost; no one went missing in a city, they either ran away or were taken. Far as he could tell, there was nothing going on that would prompt the younger teen to take off, so that left kidnapping as the most likely option.

"Any idea who might have had it in for him?" The taller blond asked Roxas, the other's cerulean eyes narrowing slightly in response to the question.

"So you came to the same conclusion as I did. 'Lette and Pence just think he went out for a walk in the woods and got lost, but he's not stupid enough to get lost even if he did frequently take walks in the middle of the fucking night. The only people that come to mind are two college pricks he got in a fight with the other week. Not sure why they'd do anything though…" He trailed off, brows furrowing.

"Remember their names or what they looked like?"

"Yeah, what are you going to do with that information?" The spiky-haired boy pressed.

"The hell do you think, Roxas? I'm going to find them and ask them if they've done anything to him. Then ask them again, less nicely," he added with a dark smile.

"Good. In the meantime I'll keep looking for him around here. Here's their names and address, Axel knows them from classes and he knows which dorm they live in. Don't kill anyone. Unless they hurt him, in which case make sure no one sees you do it."

Nodding and taking the piece of paper the shorter of the two had scribbled the information on, he headed back to his apartment to pick a few things up. He knew the general area of the address he was given, and it wouldn't be too hard to find the exact dorm room if he just asked around. Tucking his pistol, illegally obtained of course, into the waistband of his pants, he stopped and grabbed a knife and his set of lock picks as well. If he didn't find the sandy-blond teen with them he'd have to keep looking elsewhere and they might come in handy.

Half an hour later he'd found where the assholes lived, anger stirring in the pit of his stomach. Whoever had taken his rival would be lucky to be alive when he was done with them. Just because they didn't know he was in love with Hayner didn't mean it was any more grave a move to kidnap him. Gritting his teeth, he pulled on his gloves and knocked on the door. A man with dark hair answered, suspicious of him.

"Hey, my friend went missing and I was wondering if you've seen him. Name is Hayner," he asked without any hint of malice.

The man's expression flashed to one of worry before stilling again, "Nah, never heard of him. Go bother someone else."

His fist connected with the man's face before he had time to shut the door, sending him back into the small apartment and allowing Seifer the room he needed to enter it. Smirking and kicking the door closed behind him, he landed another blow to the man's nose to ensure that he broke it before driving his knee into the college student's groin. With a groan he crumpled to the floor, the muscular seventeen year-old pinning him and pressing his knife the dark-haired male's throat.

"'Kay, let's try this again. Where the fuck is Hayner?"

"The hell is wrong with you?" The older man hissed indignantly, before relenting at the added pressure on his artery, "Fine, we knocked the little brat out the night before last and left him tied up in a shed. We were going to let him go tonight, honestly. Now get off me and get out before I call the cops, you fucking psycho."

"Yeah, because calling the cops after kidnapping a minor is a fantastic idea. I'm sure you'll be seeing them soon regardless, so in the meantime why don't you tell me where exactly he is, so I don't have to murder you on your dorm room floor."

"He's in the maintenance shed out by the soccer field at the high school. You're not gonna…"

"Not going to kill you yet, fuckhead, but you'll be seeing me around if you manage to stay out of prison. Don't think I need to tell you what'll happen if you or your roommate ever go near him again, do I?" He threatened with a meaningful motion of his knife before getting up and exiting the room.

Admittedly he really did want to beat the living shit out of both of them, but that was probably something best left until after the cops got to them. For now he needed to recover his rival and likely get him to a hospital. How the fuck two adults could tie a sixteen year-old up in a shed and leave him there for almost two days was beyond him, but he supposed there were a variety of sick fucks in the world. At least he was still alive. The thought made him shiver despite the heat.

The sun was sinking below the horizon by the time he made it to the building in question, more than annoyed to see that they had locked it. It was a standard keyed entry knob and he could have gotten into it in a few minutes but he didn't feel like it. Choosing the short route, he kicked the door in, startling Hayner considerably.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to knock, Seif? How did you even find me?" He said, apparently incapable of losing his sense of humor.

"Rox told me about those guys, hunted them down, threaten to slit one's throat, came here. Simple process really. You alright?" He asked as he bent down to remove the ropes that tethered the smaller boy to a tool rack.

"I'm fantastic, Seifer. I feel fucking amazing. You ask really stupid questions," he said irritably, rubbing his wrists where they were reddened and bleeding from him struggling.

"You know what I meant, dipshit," he returned evenly, noting the dried blood on the side of the dark-eyed teen's head where he'd been hit with something; knowing college students it had been a beer bottle or baseball bat.

"My head hurts and I'm fucking dehydrated, but yeah, I'm alright. Thanks, by the way. For looking for me."

"Don't mention it, chickie. Just try not to get yourself into so much trouble anymore. Can't have you getting kidnapped and hurt all the time, would be so not cool if you were a damsel in distress kind."

He picked the lithe blond up, the skater responding by wrapping his arms around Seifer's neck and relaxing. It felt really nice to just hold him, knowing he didn't have to fight the other and wasn't the cause of his injuries.

"You'd still love me even if I was, admit it," and the words should have been joking, but the tone of Hayner's voice wasn't.

"Yeah, I totally would."

The younger teen just smiled and curled further into his rescuer.


	44. Roof

Mmm hand-job smut. Because obviously Duct Tape and Roof are way more erotic prompts than Lap Dances. What.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: M for mild smut.

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><p>044. Roof<p>

Hayner didn't often go places in Twilight by himself, but every once in a while he liked to get away from his cadre and collect his thoughts in peace. On the clock tower he could look out over the roofs of the entire city, the height lending itself to moments of clarity. It was beginning to get dark outside, and he considered leaving, but decided to wait until the last light from the sun had waned from the horizon before going back down. Finally standing, he paused when he heard someone approaching the balcony to the tower where the Usual Spot crew spent a great deal of time. He expected it to be Roxas, the only other one of them who went up here by himself frequently, but instead he found Seifer blocking his path down.

"What are you doing up here by yourself, chickenwuss?" He asked, tone of voice off for some reason.

"None of your business, and I was just leaving."

"Who said I was going to _let_ you leave?" The larger blond returned with a smirk, pushing him back against the wall that held the face of the clock.

There was something oddly unaggressive about his approach, even though it should have been just the same as any other time the older man pinned him. One would have thought once they'd both passed the age of legal adulthood they'd stop fighting or whatever it was they did, but they hadn't. Instead, the muscular college student had gotten more…handsy was probably the best word for it, using any opportunity to hold Hayner down or press him into walls. If he didn't know better, he'd think it was sexual, and just the fleeting thought made him blush like an idiot. Something in Seifer's demeanor shifted, eyes sharpening and lopsided smile widening. Without warning, he leaned forward and bit the lithe teen on the neck, drawing a stuttering breath from him. Hands went to the scarred man's broad chest, but instead of pushing him away they fisted in his coat and held him close. And here he'd thought all the sexual tension was one-sided.

"The fuck, Seifer," he huffed breathlessly as the other bit his way up to the brown-eyed male's ear.

"You drive me fucking insane, Hayner," he whispered into his captive's ear huskily, pale irises slowly disappearing as his pupils dilated.

"Likewise, but why…" the sandy-blond trailed off, forgetting how words worked when Seifer sucked on his pulse point and the man's rough hands found their way under his shirt.

"You want me to stop?" The man with ice-colored eyes asked, pulling away with a coy smile.

"You do and I might actually push you off the ledge. Don't test me," he bit out, catching the other's lips with his.

He wound his hands into the platinum-blond hair that was always hiding under the other man's beanie, the hat oddly absent today. Seifer's tongue twined with his until he gasped, the bully's thumb ghosting over his nipple. His shallow breaths turned into a growl when the nineteen year-old rubbed the skin just above the waistband of his pants, teasing just a little too much at this point in the game.

"Such a pushy bitch. Should expect that from you though," the bully mumbled before going for the throat of the situation and unbuttoning Hayner's pants.

"_Fuck_," he swore when the other snaked a hand into his boxers and gripped his dick, yanking on the man's hair hard enough that it must have hurt.

"You're so hot when you're coming undone."

Squeezing his eyes shut and tipping his head back as his long-time crush jacked him off, he was distantly aware that he was a panting mess, but he was too far gone to do anything but let his arms fall to his sides to brace himself against the wall behind him. Seifer began sucking another mark into his neck, making his cock twitch. If he was even mildly coherent he'd be struck by how ridiculous the whole situation was, and the idea that anyone could just walk up here and find them like this turned him on more than it ever should. It was also quickly becoming apparent that his neck was a major erogenous zone, and when the muscular college student sank his teeth into the junction of his shoulder and neck he was pretty much done.

"Seif, I-" He began, the rest of whatever he was planning on saying dying in a choked noise as he came, hard.

Chest heaving, he waited until he came down a bit before finally opening his eyes and trying to make sense of what just happened. Seifer seemed completely composed yet, but it was easy to tell he was almost as hot and bothered as the tan skater. Withdrawing his hand, the scarred man licked Hayner's come off his fingers, forcing the lithe teen to bite down on his lip hard enough to make it bleed, because _fuck_. This was all so strange and inappropriate and hot and he had no idea where any of it was going.

"See you around, beautiful," he said with a smirk, before striding off like nothing had happened, leaving the flushed teen where he was.

Huffing, Hayner let his knees give out and sank to the ground, head spinning and completely wrecked. He was so going to get the attractive bully back for this, because it was a total dick move to just take off without explaining anything. Running a hand through his hair as the streetlights came on, he composed himself and fixed his clothes before making his way back down the ground level. Three pairs of eyes immediately fixated on his neck when he finally got back to the apartment he shared with the others, mixed looks of confusion and shock. It was probably pretty bad considering how rough the other had been with the tender skin.

"What the hell happened to you, Hayner?" Roxas asked, stunned and suspicious.

"Seifer did. Not talking about it," he returned easily, striding over to his room and slamming the door shut.

Stripping out of his clothes and changing into different boxers, he laid down on his bed with an arm slung over his eyes. He understood why the whole episode had happened, at least vaguely; they had both wanted something to happen and Seifer had finally snapped. It should have been a good thing, but with them he had no idea if it was just going to be a one-time thing or if they were going to make a habit of it. Even if it was the latter, he didn't know if they'd actually have a relationship, or occasionally fuck in back alleys when Seifer could corner him. Now, more than ever, he could really use the lucidity he got from looking out over the city, but now every time he went to the top of the clock tower he'd think about his crush's hand on his dick. Fuck his life.


	45. Picture

So we've totally reached over 100 prompts. I think once I've got 100 more prompts than I do completed fics, I'll probably cease taking prompts for a bit until I catch up. You know, for the sake of my sanity. So if you're lurking out there and haven't reviewed, you may want to.

Theme provided by: tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>045. Picture<p>

Hayner knew Pence liked to take pictures of everything, everyone knew that. It was a piece of information generally stored away in his mind, and he ignored the actual act most of the time because it was so normal. As the summer before he entered college drew to a close, however, the brunet man grew more and more pensive. He would look down at his camera, a digital one he got as a graduation gift, and then back up at his sandy-blond friend with pursed lips, like he was considering something. After a short while he learned to ignore that, too, as just another of the teen's quirks.

"Hey, Hayner. Can you come here for a moment?" He asked on a lazy Saturday evening when they were just leaving their normal haunt to head home.

"Sure Pence, 'sup?" The taller man asked, crossing the distance between them after waving goodbye to Olette and Roxas.

"I, uh, downloaded some pictures to this thumbdrive. I deleted them on my camera and computer, I think you'll know why when you see them. Just, take a look at them, tonight? If you get the chance, call me and tell me what you think."

It was easily the oddest exchange they'd ever had, but he took the USB and gave the other an affirmative with a smile like it was the most normal thing in the world. He was easygoing around his friends like that, shit got weird and he just took it in stride. It was about the only way to survive with them. Once home, he decided to humor his photography-inclined friend and look at the shots on the drive, more curious than anything else. Why he would delete them everywhere but the tiny storage device was still a mystery to him, but he was determined to find out.

Pulling up the picture album labeled H&S, he glanced through the first few, wondering why Pence had close to a hundred photos that seemed to be just of him and Seifer interacting. Then he began to notice things. In one, the bully was watching him from where he was leaning against the wall of the sandlot, a small smile on the older male's face. Then, he was laughing at something the scarred man had said, and there was that same smile. In yet another, they seemed to be in the middle of a fight, Seifer yelling at him while pinning him to the brick wall, and Hayner was just staring at his lips like an idiot. The last one he looked at before he really got it was the most telling; the two of them were talking about something and Hayner was briefly looking away, giving Seifer the opportunity to grin behind the fist he was resting his chin on without being noticed. Briefly considering driving his forehead into a solid object, he instead dialed Pence's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Hey, so did you-"

"I did. I'm an idiot," he cut the other off.

"Yeah," the brunet returned simply.

"And Seifer's an idiot."

"Definitely."

"And I'm _in love_ with Seifer."

"About time you got that."

"And Seifer is in love with _me_."

"Hopelessly. So, what are you gonna do?"

"I guess I have to talk to him, tell him about it. Have a chick flick moment with Seifer fucking Almasy. Hey, Pence, you mind if I just keep the photos for now?"

"Sure, they're for you, do whatever you want with 'em. You going to be around tomorrow, or, uh, occupied?"

"Depends on if I can find Seif or not."

"I'll count on occupied then. The guy might as well have a honing beacon on him for how easy it is for you to track him down. Call me tomorrow so I know you're still alive."

"Will do. Thanks, Pence."

With that the conversation ended and he slipped the drive somewhere he would remember but that no one happening upon his room would easily find. Flopping onto his bed, he decided to just ignore the whole situation for the moment or else he wouldn't be able to sleep and wandering around in the middle of the night tended to get him into an unfair amount of trouble. It was to the point where even he had to label himself as absurdly danger-prone; it was like there was a target painted on his back.

He settled on playing videogames in an attempt to avoid accidentally walking into a gang fight or something equally ridiculous, going to bed earlier than he would normally just because. He didn't feel the need to justify his sleep schedule to himself or anyone else, which was good, because if he did he'd have absolutely nothing to back it up.

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><p>The brown-eyed man roused early the next day, more specifically fell out of bed in the throes of a nightmare and bruised his elbow too badly to allow him to immediately return to sleep. The dull throbbing and lingering groundless terror forced him into clothes and out the door before he even checked to see what time it was. Before long curiosity got the better of him and he checked his cellphone, startled to realize it was seven in the fucking morning and he was conscious and moving. Completely inappropriate. He will eventually find some way to blame this on Seifer and guilt him about it later. By the time he's begun to formulate a diabolical plan to turn this into free ice cream, he's managed to walk all the way to the Sandlot without even realizing he was going somewhere. The scarred blond was there, arms crossed and expression confused as Fuu and Rai had what appeared to be an argument. Or they could have been just talking, it was hard to tell when one member of a conversation said everything very loudly and the other made placating gestures toward them even when unnecessary.<p>

"Hey, Seifer!" He shouted, smirking a bit when the man turned to him curiously.

"The hell is wrong with you, lamer, you're not usually up this early," the taller blond replied as he walked over, not so much a question as a statement.

"Not important, I need to tell you I…Oh fuck it," he changed his mind, just grabbing the bully by the front of his coat and kissing him with the sort of heated, rushed roughness one could expect from them.

Pale eyes met his as Seifer pushed his tongue past his rival's lips, instantly and completely into this without needing an explanation because that was just _them_. They _got_ each other like everyone else didn't. Maybe that's why they couldn't get along for so damn long, they were both the types to dislike someone knowing too much about them, to have the ability to understand them on a deep, meaningful level or some shit. But now Hayner had come to terms with that and had unintentionally allowed himself to fall in love, and apparently the attractive man currently wrapping his arms around him had done the same. One of them pulled away and he wasn't sure who, just that he really needed to breathe and it was incredibly hot when the muscular blond panted briefly against his lips like being any further away was a tragedy.

"Love you too, Hay. What the hell did you do to your elbow?"


	46. Reversal

Another fic where something weird happened. Quite dark. Just fyi, I'll be away to a pretty grueling seminar for my job, and will not have the time or internet access to update this until Saturday night or Sunday. Sorry!

Theme provided by: pretzel-logic

Rating: High T

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><p>046. Reversal<p>

It's not something Seifer expects, which he supposes is the entire point. His world suddenly doesn't make much sense anymore, but that's probably what Hayner is going for, and succeeding spectacularly. He would comment on the role reversal, except there's a knife against his throat and Hayner is pinning him to the wall looking mad as hell and _when the fuck did he get so tall?_ The older blond is still taller by a couple inches, but it's just another thing that makes this whole encounter disturbing to his section of the fabric of reality.

"So, where is this going?" He asked finally, not sure if he really dislikes the feeling of the sharp metal scraping against his skin so close to vital things.

"Wherever I want it to, asshole," the brown-eyed man spat, voice tinged with an odd mixture of anger and something else, arousal?

"I can definitely see that, Hayner, but I was looking more for specifics. Why are you pissed off?"

"For fuck's sake, Seifer, are you stupid? You nearly got yourself killed the other week, ended up dragging me into it, and earlier today three guys from the same gang we fought with show up at my apartment and I end up throwing one of them out the third-story window. You are fucking up my life and don't even have the balls to care about it."

"Why did you move to Traverse if you weren't okay with gang violence and throwing people out windows? It is a large part of what most people do here, I assure you. Local window makers are probably the richest people in this shithole. I still fail to see how any of this is my fault."

"You are picking fights with the wrong guys and are going to end up getting yourself and possibly me killed. I came here because I was looking for Roxas, not because of what this city had to offer me in terms of life-threatening activities. I'm only still here instead of in Radiant, where he went, because of _you_. So if I get killed, it will be directly your fault and I don't think you'd even feel guilty."

The reality of the situation stabs him in the gut and he frowns deeply, at once surprised and sad. He really didn't know that the sandy-blond had stuck around because he was here, and of course he'd care and feel awful if anything happened to his friend-crush-enemy-rival. The truth of the matter was he was here to try and find Fuu and Rai, and he was pretty close to tracking them down. When people disappeared, they ended up in Traverse, often with little to no memory of who they were or where they had been before. It was a stupid system of combating the Heartless; when someone was cornered they got sucked through a portal that took them here, to the crossroads of worlds. They didn't lose their hearts, but if they didn't remember who they were, they had no way to get back. It was why the crime rate was so high, hundreds of people who didn't even have a name wandered the streets looking to vent their frustrations on the nearest living thing.

"I'd never let anything like that happen to you, Hay. I care a lot about you, okay? I'm not doing any of this on purpose, I'm just trying to find Fuu and Rai and get out of here. You don't have to stay if you don't want to, I'm not going to just…what, forget you?"

"I'm here because you're here, and I want to be…" And he trailed off, not really needing to finish his sentence for Seifer to know he was going to say 'where you are'.

"We'll go together, alright? Once I find them, we can all head to Radiant and you can be with your stupid friends in a rainbows and sunshine world where you don't have to throw people through windows. Just need you to be patient for a few more weeks."

"You can't die on me, you prick."

"Wouldn't leave you alone, chickadee," he replied quietly, the affectionate nickname inappropriate for this town, this damp, dark and dirty back alley.

The knife moved, and for a second he thought that maybe the pretty twenty-something was done being pissed and irrational, but a sharp sting told him he was wrong. The cut on his collarbone was fairly deep but not very long, a slash in his skin that was going to scar quite cleanly. Cupping his face with one hand, Hayner leaned down and sucked at the wound, drawing a hiss from his companion because that fucking hurt. Using the younger male's distraction against him, he suddenly grabbed both of his wrists and slammed him into the opposite wall, hard enough for him to groan when his head struck the masonry. The blade clattered to the ground after he reflexively let go of it, turning the tables once again in Seifer's favor. Except this time, he questioned if this was actually how it should be. The dark green coat that the lithe blond had adopted somewhere between here and Twilight was rough under his fingers as he gripped the sleeves tightly; he was probably going to leave bruises on the other's wrists.

"You're such a bastard, Almasy. Let me go."

"Why bother? Even if I let you go you'll still be mine, and you know that."

"Hate you," he spat, glaring and struggling slightly against the scarred man's grasp.

"No, you don't. Since apparently those assholes know where you're staying, and you're short one window, you're coming over to my place for the night."

"No way in hell, Seifer. Now let me go!" He said, raising his voice as a hint of desperation crept in, like it always did when he was restrained for any period of time.

"Wasn't asking."

Removing his hand from one of Hayner's wrists, he landed a quick blow to the dark-eyed man's temple and watched him black out immediately. Slumped limply in the larger blond's arms, he seemed small and fragile. His rival was twenty-one, Seifer remembered finally, having forgotten their ages for a bit, details lost in the swarm of thoughts in his head. No wonder he looked so young when he was unconscious, all the guardedness and anger bleeding from his face. Draping the thin male over his shoulder, he grabbed the knife and pocketed it, heading for what was currently his home.

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><p>Lighting a cigarette, he took a hard drag off it before exhaling in a deep sigh. Before long his younger counterpart came to and began struggling against the belt that was wrapped around his wrists to keep his hands behind his back. Seifer didn't really trust him at the moment unless he was reasonably helpless. The smouldering anger in his dark eyes also kind of turned the scarred man on, so there was that too.<p>

"You are a terrible person," Hayner hissed at him, glare intensifying.

"And you're downright cruel when you know you've lost. We all have our faults. So tell me, why did you cut me? Kind of a bitchy thing to do, even for you."

"As much as I'm sure you'd like to believe it, you really don't have a monopoly on ownership kinks."

And then it made a strange kind of sense, "So, you were just marking your territory, chickie?"

"Something like that. Mind untying me? I've still got my clothes on so this is obviously going nowhere interesting. Promise I'm not going to stab you or anything. Or, at least not much."

"You are so fucked up. We are so fucked up," Seifer amended as he walked over to where the younger blond was sitting propped against the wall so he could release him.

The second Hayner was free he tackled the larger man to the floor, starting a wrestling match that he ended up losing, but not before managing to bite into Seifer's shoulder hard enough to draw blood. The blue-eyed man pinned his hands above his head on the floor and straddled his hips to keep him down, then finally crashed their lips together because it was bound to happen eventually and he was not a patient man. The lithe fighter below him tasted like metal and sweat and Seifer's blood and the kiss itself was loving in its roughness. They loved each other, deep down, and did so far too much to bother with gentleness. Not now, in this city, on the floor of a dark room in an even darker apartment complex blanketed by a star ocean that was slowly blinking out of existence.

"Would you do this, for me? If I disappeared, would you look for me here like you are Fuu and Rai?"

"You know I would, Hayner. I love you, I wouldn't just leave you here."

"I wouldn't leave you either, even if you are going to get me killed. Would rather die than live without you, you stupid bastard. Fuck you, I love you."

Bruised and bleeding, they curled together on the bare floor and slept as peacefully as they could. It took them another week to find the scarred man's friends, and when they finally left Traverse behind them, it was together.


	47. Applesauce

So this has nothing to do with applesauce except one line. Also is late because I'm lame. So sorry.

Theme provided by: Pirate

Rating: High T

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><p>047. Applesauce<p>

Hayner knew a lot of things about Seifer, mostly by listening to and watching him. He knew how the bully got his scar, even though it wasn't something the elder would ever actually tell his rival, the younger had managed to overhear it while the blue-eyed teen was talking to Fuu and Rai about it. He knew what the other liked and disliked, and noted the male's abhorrence of applesauce, which seemed weird as hell to him but everyone had their quirks.

He knew, by extension, how Seifer reacted to things, the subtle facial expressions he made that were all the tell the world was going to get. The older boy would narrow his eyes slightly at things that pissed him off, and alternatively quirk his lips slightly when he was amused. So it didn't really make a lot of sense once he started paying close attention, the scarred teen never appeared to actually dislike Hayner. Sometimes in the middle of their fights, the other would smile slightly when he had managed to pin his rival against the wall rather than glaring as he should be. It told him a lot about their charged relationship, and eventually he had to assume that the larger didn't pick fights with him because he hated Hayner, but because he _liked_ his brown-eyed classmate.

Once they entered their senior year the fights came more infrequently, after Seifer's eighteenth birthday they almost stopped entirely. Hayner wasn't sure if he had started actually disliking him, or didn't like the idea of a legal adult kicking the shit out of a minor, not that the sandy-blond had any problem with it. Twilight wasn't the kind of town where people called the cops if two people got into a fight unless there were weapons involved or one was in danger of being killed. It bothered him that they didn't do much of anything together anymore, even if the only thing they did before was knock each other around.

A huge downside to this was there wasn't much to deter others from bothering him now. When he was fighting with Seifer he was clearly hands-off, because no one wanted to fuck with the blue-eyed street fighter, but now anyone started shit with him. In this particular instance he was being stalked by a guy two years older than him, and he wasn't sure if the newcomer wanted to molest him or fight him, which weirded him out further. It seemed like the scarred man noticed too, outright snarling at the man when he caught sight of him, but that didn't seem to faze him in the least.

It was a forgone conclusion that things were going to escalate to violence, but he didn't expect it to happen right in the goddamn Sandlot on the one day his old rival wasn't there to help him. Blood soaking into the sand as he stumbled back into the wall, he had the fleeting thought that he hadn't had his nose broken in months and had almost forgotten how much the taste of blood flowing down the back of his throat irritated him.

"The fuck do you want with me, asshole? If you just wanted to fight you could have said so weeks ago."

"Didn't just want to fight," the other returned with a dark look, slamming his hands down on either side of Hayner's head as he leaned into the younger's personal space.

Growling and kicking the man in the groin, he punched his attacker in the mouth and considered taking off when he crumpled to the ground, but lost the opportunity when his opponent swept his legs out from under him and rolled to pin him. He was surprisingly agile for someone who had just been kicked in the nuts. Practice gave him the upper hand; even if the brunet man had a few pounds of muscle on him there was no substituting for years of training with one of the best fighters the area had to offer. Kneeing him in the stomach, he got an arm free and punched the person above him in the jaw again. Throwing all his weight, he managed to roll them and split the other's lip before pushing himself back to his feet and backing away.

"Who the fuck are you, and why are you doing this? What do you want with me?"

"Name's Zach. Almasy has a thing for you, and I wanted to know why. You're a lot feistier than I expected, maybe that's it. Also, just want to piss him off, and hurting you is a great way to do that."

"Why do I always attract crazy people," he muttered to himself, dodging the next punch.

He had to admit, this Zach put a lot of force behind his movements, driven by bloodlust and rage. A left hook caught Hayner in the stomach and he buckled, wrapping his arms around his abdomen automatically as he dropped to his knees. The next blow was a kick to his chest that he was sure broke a rib or two, his vision flashing white briefly. He found himself dragged up by the collar of his shirt, snarling before elbowing the other in the throat. The strike was enough to get Zach to let go of him, though all he really managed to do was stumble over to the wall to lean on it while clutching at his injured bones. If the other hit him in the same place again, he'd pass out from the pain alone. He didn't even have the focus to fight the larger man off when he came near again, rubbing his throat and looking more and more furious by the second. Slamming him against the cement building he was steadying himself on, the dark-eyed man smirked at him in a way too sinister to remind him of Seifer. Seifer would never do this to him, mostly because the bully had stopped giving a shit entirely.

He got in one last punch, Zach's nose breaking in several places with audible snaps and blood dribbling down his chin. The other just bared his teeth and managed to pin both of Hayner's hands above his head with one hand, grip painfully tight. Trying to jerk loose only made him punch the blond teen in the mouth, blood filling his mouth when he bit his tongue.

"Quit struggling, you're just going to make this more difficult for yourself," the brunet said, wrapping his other hand around the high schooler's throat.

"The fuck is wrong with you, get off me," Hayner hissed, not sure whether the guy was going to kill him or just choke him until he passed out.

"Shut up."

To enforce his message, the man crushed their lips together, making breathing even harder. It clicked into place for him a bit more, the older man thought Seifer was attracted or cared about Hayner, and probably expected the scarred man to arrive in his normal haunt at any time. No matter how he interpreted the current situation, he would be furious, if he cared at all. It was particularly depressing that he got the feeling his old rival would only fight Zach off because it was the right thing to do, not because he was emotionally invested in the brown-eyed blond.

When the other's grip on his throat eased off for a moment, he headbutted the attacker in the forehead, shouting "S-Stop!"

"For fuck's sake just be quiet," he replied, licking his way into his captive's mouth with a cold precision that sent a chill down his spine.

Seifer chose that moment to jog into view, either drawn by the shout or just pure happenstance. Gloved hands clenched into fists and brows drawn down hard over his eyes, he stalked over to them. Zach detached their mouths and smirked at the taller man, apparently finding this situation hilarious instead of dangerous.

"You try to take out my gang again and I'll do much worse, Almasy. Hayner wouldn't fare so well against six of us," he spoke, letting go of the teen in question and taking a few steps toward the man with ice-colored eyes.

"It's funny that you guys think you're tough, but you can't handle a kid without ganging up on him. You really want to go there? Fine, next time we fight, I'll kill you so you don't create more problems for me. How about that?"

"You bluff, Seifer. You wouldn't kill anyone even if you had to, you just think your threats can protect your little boyfriend from us."

Growing tired of the entire exchange, Hayner walked up behind him and swung a hard kick to his kneecap, bending the joint at an unnatural angle and breaking at least one bone therein. With a scream Zach fell to the ground, giving the sandy-blond boy the opportunity to plant a foot on his throat.

"Let's clear this whole thing up. You either leave me and Seifer alone, or I kill you right here. You come near us again, if he won't end you, _I will_."

The brunet nodded, struggling to breathe, and a kick to the head rendered him unconscious. Wiping some of the blood and saliva off his lips, he glared at the other blond. For good measure he decked the bully as he walked by, hard enough to leave a bruise there for a few days.

"Thanks for nothing, asshole. If you're going to be distant, why don't you just stay the fuck away from me. I'm not going to get the shit kicked out of me and be molested by random strangers because of your stupid ass if you won't even acknowledge me most days._ Fuck you_."

"Hay, wait," the stoic man called after him, catching up and grabbing his hand to pull him back.

"What?"

"I didn't…I wasn't trying to ignore you, I was trying to keep you out of all this shit."

"Well it obviously didn't work."

"Obviously. Look, we'll get you to a hospital and then we can talk, alright?"

"No, I'm going home, alone, and you're going to stay away from me until I tell you otherwise. I'm not your plaything, I'm done being dangled in front of your enemies."

"Goddamn it Hayner, I'm not toying with you, I love you. I'm just trying to protect you because you didn't exactly sign up for the danger I put you in."

"I'm not made of fucking glass, Seifer! I'm just as violent as you and twice as temperamental, if you really cared you would have told me instead of pushing me away. I hate you, I hate what you do to me, I hate that I love you."

In a final fit of rage, he charged the other to the ground, straddling his waist and holding him down by the shoulders. It jarred his rib and he decided that the hospital was probably a decent idea, but for the moment he was too pissed off to do anything but punch the other again. Seifer let him, but the second time his fist raised the larger man caught and held it, face unreadable. Sighing, Hayner leaned down and kissed him, anger ebbing away. Pale eyes met his and a gloved hand trailed along his neck, no doubt tracing the soon-to-be bruises.

"Stop pushing me away. You can't protect me if you're on the other side of the fucking city."

"'Course. Are you sure, Hayner?"

"Yeah, we all make our choices and they have consequences, and against all better judgment I choose you. Now take me to the fucking hospital, I think I'm going to pass out."

The scarred bully was too happy to comply, sitting up and pushing him off long enough to get to his feet, lifting the smaller teen into his arms. His broken ribs were producing a searing pain at this point and he knew it would only get worse the more he breathed, as such he couldn't find the strength to argue after being carried.

"I am sorry, about the whole thing with Zach. I didn't think he would try anything, he's way more fucked up than I expected."

"Oh, so you don't just like watching other guys knock me around and make out with me against my will? Huh."

"Too possessive for that, chickadee. No one else gets to touch you, especially not without your consent. I don't even get to touch you without your consent."

"That right there is the guy that I love. Not the prick who thinks it's cool to just ignore me for months. Asshole."

"Such a bitch. You gonna be okay?"

"Fine, so long as none of your other buddies come along and try to get friendly. Seriously, what dark alley do you find these people in?"

He rested his head against the man's broad chest, biting his lip against the pain. It was a bad idea to start this relationship, but deep down he knew it had been going on for years and there was no stopping it now. Might as well enjoy the ride.


	48. Danger

Well this prompt got interpreted weird. Full prompt was "stranger danger" and instead of writing a cute fluffy thing about being kids, I wrote this.

Theme provided by: stormbringer246

Rating: T

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><p>048. Danger<p>

It wasn't until Seifer was much older that he fully understood the phrase 'stranger danger', and it was a lot deeper than the accepted meaning. Ever since Hayner had started hanging out with Roxas's boyfriend and their group, he'd picked up new addictions that the blue-eyed man would have never expected out of him. He'd started showing up at parties and getting completely hosed, not completely unusual for someone his age, but then he'd started skipping classes to go out drinking with them in the middle of the day. Seifer realized it might not be just a phase when the sandy-blond picked up smoking as well, often standing just outside one of the campus doors to catch a few pulls when he had a break in class. He had a strong feeling the other wouldn't be doing any of this if it wasn't for the influence of Axel and his friends, and he had to wonder why a few strangers had such pull over his life.

A month later he began to understand why Hayner had been acting so out of character; Olette called him at three in the morning to inform him that the lithe blond's mother had finally succumbed to a brain tumor she'd had for over a year, and he'd gotten into a fight with his father who proceeded to kick him out. Torn between sympathy for his old rival and a cold rage at his father, he asked her if he was alright.

"That's the problem, he took off after his dad punched him and no one has been able to find him. I'm worried, he's gotten into a lot of unhealthy habits ever since his mom's health started getting worse. I…I'm terrified he's going to kill himself, intentionally or not."

Steeling himself against the dread that line inspired, he replied, "I'll look for him, Olette. How did you get my number anyway?"

"Fuu gave it to me, we're friends, remember? She said you were the one to talk to if anything ever happened to Hay. We'll keep looking on our end, good luck. And, be gentle with him."

Dropping his phone back into his pocket, he guessed at the least likely place to find Hayner when he was upset. The brown-eyed man had always gone to the Clock Tower or Sunset Hill when he was upset, but avoided the beach because there were typically too many people. Setting off for the pier, he wasn't too surprised to find the other sitting on the edge just outside the railing. The area was deserted, the light on the end of the pier illuminating them enough that he didn't trip as he jumped over the railing to sit next to him.

"Hey."

"Fuck off, Seif. I'm trying to get drunk alone," he replied acidly, lifting the bottle of vodka to his lips and taking a swig.

"I can see that, but I really don't think that's the best thing for you to be doing right now. Hard to swim drunk, chickie."

"Who put you up to this, seriously? Go away, you're not my…_Fuck_."

He set the bottle down and reached into his coat to grab a cigarette, flame from the lighter briefly casting his face in sharp relief against the darkess. There was a bruise forming under his left eye. The smoke curled into the sky, pale silver in the faint moonlight.

"Why _are_ you here?" The sandy-blond pressed, looking at him for the first time.

"I've been worried about you, moron. It's not like you to drink, or start smoking. You're better than self-medicating."

"God I hate you. You don't understand, stop talking down to me about my choices when you know nothing about my life."

Sighing, he pulled out his own half-empty pack of cigarettes and lit up, noting the shocked expression on his companion's face in the firelight, "Right, I've never lost a parent or two."

"You smoke?"

"Have since I was fifteen, chickadee. I smoke a pack a month now, pretty much quit. Doesn't help in the long run. Neither does drinking, trust me."

"Just because your parents died when you were a kid doesn't mean you get to tell me how to live my life, asshole. I can't even fucking go home."

He was briefly irritated at being brushed off, but it passed, "Even if your dad did really mean to kick you out and wants you out of his life, doesn't mean you don't have a home. You've always got your friends, Hayner, they care about you a lot. They're out looking for you right now, Olette called me scared to death you were going to kill yourself."

"She worries too much. I wouldn't intentionally kill myself. Fall off the pier and drown, maybe. So, you came here because she told you to find me?"

"Fuck you, Hayner, I came here because I care about you."

"Why? Why the fuck would you care about me?"

Shaking his head and muttering under his breath, he scratched his cigarette out and plucked Hayner's from his lips, covering the smaller man's indignant response with his lips. His mouth tasted like ash and booze, and it wasn't an unusual flavor, but the sensation accompanying it was, a slow burn in the pit of his stomach. The lithe teen's lips were chapped and there was a faint hint of copper in his mouth from when he'd been struck. This was absolutely not the time to be doing this, but he had to. When the other began to kiss him back with a sort of hungry desperation, he pulled away and held him back.

"We'll deal with this when you're sober, chickadee. In the meantime, where did you want to go for the night?"

"This is a 'you don't have to go home but you can't stay here' kind of thing, isn't it? Am I allowed to go with you, or is there some sort of chivalry code against that too? Can't kiss you, can't crash with you, definitely can't sleep with you…"

"You can stay at my place if you want, and no, I'm not sleeping with you when you're like this."

"My dad hit me because he found out I was gay during our fight," he said suddenly, laughing darkly.

"Hateful people exist everywhere, believe me, I know. Come on, let's get you somewhere less precarious," he replied softly, not really sure what to say in this situation.

He stood, offering his counterpart a hand up. Lacing their fingers together, he led Hayner off the pier and toward his apartment, briefly texting Olette that he was safe. The brown-eyed blond insisted that if he was going to sleep in Seifer's bed, the scarred man damn well better be there too. It was a queen size, so it wasn't uncomfortable, especially when the younger male curled up against his chest. Wrapping his arms around his vulnerable friend, he knew things weren't going to be this easy in the morning, but he'd just have to roll with the punches until Hayner was okay again. They were both tough enough to survive it.


	49. Bullet

I'd be really hard pressed to explain why this took me two days, because it really shouldn't have. Also the spy theme hasn't been beaten to death yet, clearly. Ended in a pre-slashy place but I wasn't about to let this drag me along for another ten pages. Considering my propensity for guns and violence, surprised I managed to keep this prompt at bay for so long.

Theme provided by: tigerlilith

Rating: T

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><p>049. Bullet<p>

Hayner wasn't one to brag, but he was one of the best at what he did. It was a simple factual statement, he had a flawless mission record and the highest aptitude scores in the history of his agency, and they were the largest in the free world. He was certain there were some from the other corners of the globe that could hand his ass to him, but the majority of those were trained from early childhood to be what they were, he was new at it comparatively. So when he was told to infiltrate a facility in fuck all nowhere with at least a hundred highly trained terrorist spies and strike forces, he didn't bat an eye, just asked when and where to board the transport.

His partner, in charge of taking down security systems and generally backing his ass up from a distance, was also fantastic at what he did. An agent couldn't work without their handler, if his failed him he could not only end up trapped behind steel doors with no recourse, but he could also be captured and have his identity revealed. Then, even if he got free, he'd be pretty much doomed.

Stepping over the bodies of the three people he'd just killed, he didn't think about them other than noting where his bullets struck. The hole in the third's head was about an inch off where he was aiming, and he frowned. Checking his gun quickly, he decided it was his own error and shook his head, knowing now of all times he couldn't afford to get that sloppy. The voice in his ear told him to go three intersections up the corridor and turn right and he took off. There was something slightly off in his partner's voice, Chris sounding a bit anxious. He would love to play it off as nervousness about the scope of the operation, but the other was always calm, downright cold in these situations. Biting his lip, he hoped this wasn't going to turn out incredibly shitty for him. It probably was.

As soon as he turned the corner he saw someone and took aim, recognizing them a fraction of a second before firing and jerking his gun enough to miss the headshot by half a foot. Heart stuttering with adrenaline in his chest, he watched pale eyes search him, something like approval in their eyes. The man in front of him had gotten a few inches taller since they'd last seen each other at the ages of seventeen and eighteen respectively, and he supposed if anyone was going to go into a similar line of work as he did, it would have been him.

"Seifer? Don't tell me you're…I have to kill you, you know," he said finally, pointing the gun back at the familiar scar.

"How's it going, Hayner? Your handler yelling in your ear to shoot me yet?" The older blond asked, holding his hands up placatingly.

Now that he mentioned it, Chris was telling him in no uncertain terms to shoot Seifer, which made him frown and flip his comm off, "Yeah, he knows your name too. Suspicious, isn't it?"

"Yeah, funny…Wonder how he could possibly know who I am without being able to see my face," he answered with a smirk, gesturing toward the shot-out camera that was the only security feature in the area.

"Okay, you have a minute. Explain," he ordered, gun steady.

"I'm a double agent, and so is your partner. His name is Chris, right? In three minutes he'll send them this way and you'll be fucked."

"You know this because you've infiltrated their ranks? Does he know, and if so, how haven't they killed you yet?"

"He has no idea, he just wants me dead because I outrank him. Do you trust me, Hayner?"

"Absolutely not, I haven't seen you in seven years; I have no reason to believe you. I know I can't trust Chris, but that doesn't mean you're any better. You have yet to give me a valid reason not to shoot you and run as fast as I can out of here."

"We're working for the same agency, trying to accomplish the same thing. The only difference between us right now is I'm a double agent and the leader's right hand man, and you are the bait the agency planted to flush any enemy plants in our ranks out."

They had about a minute and thirty seconds left before the guards got here, if what the other said was true, but he had two more questions to ask.

"Why would they use me as bait, and does this plan involve my death?"

"You're going to live, and they chose you because they're stupid enough to risk their best agent just to make sure I stay on the right side. We're out of time, you going to shoot me or help me do my job?"

"Couldn't possibly get any worse, I've already been betrayed. Do what you have to," he replied bitterly, tossing his gun carelessly down the corridor. Even if he did shoot the other and run, he wouldn't make it out in time, he wasn't about to kill Seifer for a pointless endeavor.

"Thanks, Hay. Sorry about this, I have-"

Cutting him off, he braced himself for the punch he knew was coming, "To make it look like there was a struggle, yes, I know. Not new at this, sweetheart."

By the time the guards arrived he had three broken ribs, a broken nose, a dislocated left shoulder, and quite probably a cracked right tibia. The thing he was most upset about was being unable to do any serious return damage, made him look bad only being able to split the older man's lip. Today was apparently not his day. Seifer grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to his feet, slamming him against the wall at just the right angle to not seriously jar his injuries and make him black out.

"Almasy, back off, you know we need him alive. Seems like Chris's deception worked well for you," a man with sharp green eyes and blond hair sad, striding ahead of the armored grunts.

"Completely ambushed him, always makes things easier. Surprised Chris didn't manage to fuck up, I always figured he'd at least attempt to warn his partner after working with Hayner for so long. Cold bastard, no wonder you two get along, Vexen."

"Funny you should mention that, he said you'd try to help his agent out because you two have a history. Doesn't really seem like it, unless he meant help him into an early grave," a shorter, younger figure with slate-gray hair falling over his face said, dark blue eyes calculating.

"History? Yeah, when we were kids we hated each other, now we're still enemies. Not much reason for me to help him. As far as his injuries, can't take any chances, you know what he's capable of. He's alive, for now, you got what you wanted."

"Drag him over this way, would you? We don't have much time before the agency realizes he's been compromised and sends in an extraction team. Or an airstrike, as the case may be, best get to the lower levels," the man named Vexen said, gesturing the guards off.

The scarred operative turned back to him and quirked an odd smile that the others couldn't see before sweeping Hayner's legs out from under him and lifting him up. Just the pressure of being held was enough to reawaken the searing pain in his chest, making his breath catch. It was completely unfair that things had gotten fucked up this badly, but at least the older blond wasn't making him walk on his injured leg. Small miracles.

"You seem to be paying him more mind than you have other enemy agents," the quiet blue-eyed man commented, something strange about his tone of voice, like he was nervous himself and doing his best to hide it.

"I broke his leg, can't force him to walk on it. You want him conscious, don't you, Zexion?" Seifer returned gruffly, face impassive.

"Hard to interrogate someone who isn't."

He closed his eyes and drifted away, just the mention of interrogation making his mind numb. Their training was so ingrained he doubted he could _not _mentally escape the situation he was currently in, for the good of his agency, and his sanity besides. He was distantly aware that his arms and legs were being tied to a chair deep in the belly of the bunker-like complex and found it a bit droll. Seifer left, just Hayner and Zexion in the small room together, and he smirked darkly at the idea that this was really happening to him because of his fuckwad of a handler. He'd trusted the man for over a year and he was going to be the sandy-blond agent's undoing.

"Zexion, we're having a problem with the cam in your room, nothing but static. Please respond."

"I'm here, and everything is fine. Prisoner is secure. Do you at least have audio?"

"Negative. Don't open the door for anyone yet, we're going to try and get things back online. Can't risk the prisoner escaping. If you need help, call immediately."

"Understood. Commencing radio silence until the situation changes."

He set the radio down and looked at Hayner inquisitively, cocking his head slightly. His eye movements were more suggestive of someone doing a complex math problem than studying a person, but the agent got the feeling he was an incredibly unusual person.

"You still don't trust Seifer, do you? He's accessing the files your agency needs to track and destroy this faction as we speak."

"No, I don't. So how are you involved in all this?" The brown-eyed man asked, focusing as best he could through the endorphins combating the pain.

"I realized I was on the wrong path a while ago, but this isn't the kind of situation you just walk out on. He offered me a way out if I helped him, so I took a chance. When he found out your handler had turned, he was furious, considered killing him to protect you. But the agency wanted to keep you in harm's way to make sure he stayed obedient. Leverage."

"Why the fuck would he even give a shit? I mean, if he's still straight I can see why he'd care about keeping me alive, but if he was considering flipping sides I don't think he'd be bothered if he'd have to kill me in the process."

"Seifer's attached to you, whether you know it or not. You're more than enough motivation for him. I'm sure he could explain it better himself, assuming he lives through this."

"So if you're both in on this, and he wants me alive, why am I still tied to a chair like you're going to torture me?"

"Because I don't trust you not to try and kill me despite all I've said. Your occupation makes you paranoid."

"Smart, no wonder Seifer is wasting his time on you. How long is he expected to be gone?"

"Ten more minutes, possibly fifteen if he manages to get into the more heavily-encrypted files. He's moved up the ranks quite efficiently since he got here, I wouldn't be surprised if he's gotten the passwords to allow access to a few choice bits of information."

"Gods, are you the head of his fanclub, or just a member?" The blond agent scoffed, "I really hope he's not planning on me running out of here, because if my leg isn't completely broken now, it will be as soon as I try to walk on it."

"If I were to hazard a guess he's betting on being able to carry you out and to the helo before they even realize they've been compromised."

"Fantastic, I'll put in the mission report that I had to be rescued and carried like a damsel in distress. For fuck's sake, I'd rather walk if that's the case."

"He told me you'd say something to that effect. To reduce the chance of you further injuring yourself, I'm going to have to knock you out at least until we can get you to a medical facility," he explained matter-of-factly, taking a capped hypodermic needle and a small bottle of clear solution out of his pocket.

"Be my guest, not like I can stop you. Be careful, Zexion," he added in a moment of humanity.

The dark-haired man pursed his lips and nodded solemnly, drawing the liquid into the needle before pulling up Hayner's sleeve and injecting it. Between his conditioning and the natural painkillers flooding his body in response to his injuries, he barely registered the pinch of the cold metal. It could have been poison, he supposed, but it was a long way to go just to kill someone softly, so he faded out fairly confident he wasn't going to die immediately.

* * *

><p>The steady beeping that assaulted him as he woke up irritated him in more than one way; the sound itself was grating, and hearing it told him he was in a hospital, or at least some place with decent medical technology. That meant either the terrorists had decided to coddle their captive, or Seifer really had been a double agent and had carried him all the way to the waiting helicopter after essentially doing his mission for him. He was fairly certain if anyone but the higher-ups found out about it he'd be ceaselessly ridiculed.<p>

Forcing his eyes open, he wasn't surprised to see the inside of the medical wing in his agency's headquarters, or to see several other agents in varying states of consciousness in a few of the other beds in the room. It wasn't unusual for them to get seriously injured on the job, it just wasn't something he personally had happen very often. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out the IV in his hand and sat up, eager to get the fuck out of here and to somewhere he could hide and sleep in peace.

"I'm afraid we're going to have to ask you to wait here until you're well enough to walk again, Hayner. If you press your luck with your cracked tibia you may very well end up going from six weeks of recovery to three months. You're one of our most valuable assets, we can't risk you being out of commission for that long," one of the nondescript men in suits he always encountered throughout the facility explained after quickly crossing the wing from wherever he'd been hiding.

"Yeah, valuable asset, that you used as helpless bait. The company knew damn well that Chris had switched sides and was going to betray me, and you all put faith in the idea that Seifer, a double agent that had been there for a much longer time, would still be on our side and save me. Fuck you, don't feed me your damn lines."

"I am completely sincere when I say that we value your life and service a great deal, and I assure you that things will be cleared up when you are healthy enough to be debriefed."

"Inform the top brass that if they don't explain the situation to me in great deal by tomorrow, I will disappear so even they won't find me."

The man quirked an eyebrow, apparently impressed, "I'll pass the message along, but I have to remind you how the company disciplines its unruly agents."

"Right, because they'd totally kill me when I'm apparently the only leverage they have on Seifer, and their best field agent. Did the man named Zexion make it out alive?"

"Alive and well, though he's being detained until both he and Seifer fully check out with our lie detectors. Can't be too careful."

"Don't preach to me about wariness, you don't know the meaning of the word. Unless you have something incredibly interesting and worthy of my time to say to me, please leave me alone."

"In your bedside table's top drawer is a gift Seifer left for you. We've already screened it and it's clean. If you need anything there's a call button on your bed, otherwise I've been instructed to tell you to rest."

The man left him, and he waited a minute before opening the drawer and pulling out the simple, unwrapped box therein. Opening it, he was surprised to find that the other had rescued his gun at some point, most likely going back for it while he was stealing information. It wasn't loaded, unfortunately, but even empty the weight of it was calming. He'd been using it for almost a year now, the longest any of his firearms had lasted, and he'd grown rather fond of it. Tracing the cold metal of the barrel, he noticed a small slip of paper in the box, lifting it to see what it was. It had only a short, quickly-written message on it in black ink:

_I never stopped thinking about you._


	50. Oasis

Prompt was "watering hole" so I changed it slightly, but the idea is still the same. Exceptionally short.

Prompt provided by: izzy

Rating: T

* * *

><p>050. Oasis<p>

Seifer leaned his head back against the hardy palm tree, trying to find a position where the glare off the water wasn't completely awful. Why Sora needed to drag them to a desert world first thing was beyond him. He voiced this to Hayner, who sat down next to him with a thud.

"Yeah, well. Apparently there was something really important to get done in Agrabah, he mentioned some sort of monster out in the desert, that's why he left us behind I guess. He'll be back if he needs our help."

"Why couldn't he take us somewhere colder, I can deal with snow."

"Careful what you wish for, Seif, next we'll be freezing our asses off," the smaller blond replied, sighing and leaning over to rest his had in the scarred man's lap.

Running a hand through the spiked-up hair of the boy in his lap, he belatedly realized he had no idea why the other teen had moved, but decided it was too fucking hot to care anyway. It was comfortable, maybe it was meant to happen. Dark eyes held his for a moment before closing, a faint smile on Hayner's face.

And of course, the next place Sora took them was the snowy mountains of ancient China, and the sandy-blond made fun of him the entire time.


	51. Faery

You guys like absurdly implausible and long stuff that takes me five days to write, right? Of course you do. If the plot seems a bit rushed, pretend it's a super sexy Disney movie and everything will be okay again. ALSO UNICORNS.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith's dearest Matt, who is _not_ gay but suggests _really gay_ prompts to me sometimes.

Rating: T

* * *

><p>051. Faery<p>

Seifer had never believed in magical creatures, even though he knew magic itself existed because he could use it. Before she died, his mother always claimed that there really were fairies and unicorns and mermaids. He loved the woman, but he thought she had a really skewed view of reality. Either way, he always wore the small unicorn pendant carved out of ivory that once adorned her neck. When both of his parents were killed in the war, he entered training to be a knight and was eventually tasked with the search for the entrance to the magical realm by the princess. He thought she was more than crazy to think such a thing existed, and waste his time making him look for it. At the very least Fuujin and Raijin had been given saner tasks, searching for rare birds deep in the south of the country.

Sighing, he continued through the ancient forest, taking solace in the gunblade sheathed on his hip. His horse had refused the enter the wood, so he had left it with the members of the nearest village, who also warned him away from the area. Guessing lore-based paranoia was a good indication that he should at least make the attempt to search the area out, he had entered the dark and vast cluster of trees alone. So far, he'd found absolutely nothing but some impressively gnarled trees that pulsed faintly with old earth-element magic. It was fairly unusual, but he couldn't really form an opinion on it yet.

There was a small clearing in the forest, the first break in the canopy he'd found in half a day of travel through it, and he started walking toward the startlingly bright shaft of golden sunlight that slashed through the darkness toward the ground. The plant life on the forest floor burst to life on the border of where the trees relinquished their hold on the sun, thick grass populated with wildflowers filling the space. There were a few exotic-looking butterflies flitting between them, the largest cluster amassing seemingly randomly in the center. As he stepped closer he realized they were gathered around a person, a young man with wavy spiked hair the color of sand. There was a deep gash in his side, still fresh enough to be bleeding, and he appeared to be unconscious, dark lashes still against his tan cheeks.

Kneeling next to him, he could feel strong magical energy running through the younger blond. Curious, he set his questions aside for the moment and healed him, taking in the heavily-designed black tunic and silvery leggings he wore, more fitting of a noble than a man apparently living in the woods by himself. Lifting him up, he carried the lithe male to the nearest tree and propped him up against it, wrapping his own cloak around the stranger. As night began to fall he decided to build a fire outside the ring of grass, most of the rest of the forest bare dirt or thick moss. The clearing glowed ethereally in the moonlight, and he had to wonder if this place really was magical.

A groan alerted him to his companion's returning consciousness, and shifted to look at the other automatically. His hands immediately went to his side, expecting a wound, and he blinked several times when he found none. Doe-like brown eyes focused on him finally, the beginnings of understanding showing on his face.

"Are you okay?" The knight asked as gently as he could, not really wanting to frighten the man from the start.

"I…you don't have…" He trailed off, glancing behind him in confusion.

"Is there something wrong?"

"Where am I? Sorry, I'm being rude, my name is Hayner, thanks for healing me."

"No problem, I'm Seifer. The locals call this the Fae woods, though I couldn't get a straight answer out of them why."

"Why _wouldn't_ they call it…Shit, I got thrown through the Veil. Fuck!" He swore loudly, brows furrowing as he grew progressively more upset.

"Calm down and explain what's going on, I'll try to help you if I can. I'm a knight, it's what I do," he added at the other's suspicious look.

"You're not going to believe me, at all. I was fighting the Dark Faery King and somehow he managed to send me through the Veil separating my world and yours. So now I'm missing my wings, I lost my sword, and you think I'm completely crazy because your world doesn't really believe in ours anymore."

"Wow," he replied after a few beats, laughing briefly, "That explains how you got in the middle of nowhere with such a severe wound and no one around who could have inflicted it, I guess. Okay, let's say I do believe you, how can I help?" The scarred blond asked, something about the air of hopelessness the other had making him need to aid the young man, sane or not.

"I need something from our world, a charm of some sort, to reopen the Veil long enough to slip back through it. But the King managed to take the only charm I carried when he attacked me. I'm not even sure where to start looking for one in your world."

"Come morning we'll set out for the village near here, maybe someone will be able to help us. You know, my mother was convinced that faeries and the like were absolutely real, she adored unicorns and even carried a pendant of one with her."

He lifted the necklace out from under his shirt and rubbed the small white figure fondly, still finding this entire situation absurd in the extreme, but he had a goal and he'd try to accomplish it. Helping people was what he did, and he supposed this young man represented the very thing he came here to find, even if it didn't seem possible.

"That's eerie. Your mother's charm is actually one of ours, did she ever say where she got it?"

"No, she didn't mention. Maybe she had a reason to believe," he returned with a shrug, noting the frown on Hayner's face.

"I'd imagine that pendant is important to you, right?"

"My mom died when I was ten, it's about the only thing I have left of her. It's incredibly important to me."

"Naturally. Do you really need to sleep, or can we leave for the village now?"

"I don't necessarily need to sleep, why, is there some time issue?"

"You could say that. This world has a dearth of magic, and magic is kind of important to me. By the morning after next I'll be dead. But whatever charm I use to open the veil is going to be destroyed."

He thought about it for a moment, and then pulled the cord over his head and held it out, quirking a small smile, "You can use it under one condition: you let me come with you."

"Really? Why do you want to accompany me? Things aren't exactly friendly right now over there, we're on the precipice of war."

"And I'm a knight sent out here to find the entrance to your realm anyway. I know how to fight, and I'm willing to help you."

"Very well, are you ready to go now?" Hayner ceded, taking the necklace out of his companion's hand.

"Might as well, no reason to wait."

"Thanks, Seifer. Means a lot to me. Well, quite literally everything I suppose."

Putting the fire out with a water spell, he gathered his cloak from the other and draped it back around his shoulders, not knowing whether the climate wherever they were going would be different. The brown-eyed man held the unicorn charm out and it glowed briefly before splitting into several pieces. They formed a vague person-sized oval, each shard seeming to hold an edge of reality away from the center, which shivered and glinted like liquid metal.

"You first, Seifer."

Shrugging and jumping through, he landed hard just a few seconds later, face down in thick moss. Pushing himself up, he was almost to his feet when the smaller blond fell on top of him, bringing them both the ground. Grunting and shifting to glare behind him, he took in the other and couldn't quite manage an expression other than shock. The shorter man apologized with a slight blush and stood, offering him a hand up. Taking it, he pushed himself to his feet to help the other, unable to take his eyes off the slowly-flapping iridescent butterfly wings at his back. Their base color seemed to be bright metallic green, but as they moved they flashed dark blue and indigo.

"What's wrong? Oh, oh right. Forgot you weren't used to the wings."

"Yeah, they're…interesting. Can I?" He asked, guessing the other would get his meaning.

"Um, yeah, so long as you don't ask anyone else. Seriously, not something you should do with strangers."

Tugging his black leather glove off, he traced the edge of the elegant scaled wing, surprised with how tough the material that made them up was. An ordinary butterfly's wings would disintegrate if he touched them. It was still soft despite how durable it was, similar to velvet in its texture. Hayner was blushing and had his eyes everywhere but the knight, which Seifer guessed was an indication, along with the other's words, that this was a completely socially unacceptable activity. Pulling his hand away, he put his glove back on and gestured for the other to lead on. It was his home realm, after all.

"You can ride horses, right? Since you can't fly, there's only one other way we can get you to the castle from here."

"I'm a pretty good horseman, yeah. What do you have in mind?"

"You'll catch on once we get close, it's not far. Come on," he goaded, flitting off toward thick-grown grassy plains sparsely populated with trees.

The whole flying thing was going to catch him up for a while, but he followed after the other anyway. He wondered if they entered the world in the middle of nowhere intentionally, or if that was just how it happened. Hayner didn't have an answer for him either, since he'd never been on the other side he'd never had a reason to figure out the technical details of the return spell. Even under the setting sun his cloak and long-sleeved coat warmed quickly, combatting the cold wind that seemed to blow from the direction of the black mountains to the east. Before long they came to a sloping ridge, below them he discovered a herd of white horses. Upon closer inspection he realized they were actually unicorns, ivory horns spiraling from their foreheads.

"That one, the black one," Hayner explained, pointing to a hulking equine figure standing stock still beneath a tree looking out over the herd.

The dark beast had large, heavy wings, a silver breastplate and armor plate around the thick ebony horn jutting out from under its long forelock. It looked up at them as if it knew they were watching it, and the black-clad man flew down to meet it, leaving Seifer to find his way down the steep descent. Hayner appeared to be conversing with the winged unicorn, its horn resting on his shoulder in a way that had to be intentional. After a moment its massive head turned to the knight, observing him.

"His name is Bellerophon. He seems to like you enough to let you ride him. Just don't make him angry, the horn isn't for show," the sandy-blond explained, stroking the creature's neck.

"Yeah, not pissing off people who are bigger than you and willing to help you is a general rule, far as I'm concerned that extends to talking magical creatures."

Bellerophon knelt so he could mount around the broad, muscular wings adorning the unicorn's back, and he gestured for Hayner to sit behind him. He had a feeling the winged quadruped could fly a lot faster than a faery. Spreading his raven-like wings, the stallion took off toward the forest to the west and the grey castle looming therein. His companion wrapped his arms around Seifer's chest, lacking much else to hold on to. The warmth at his back was oddly comforting.

They landed on a balcony, four female fairies with wings of varying colors with black webbing immediately descending upon them. All were wearing some sort of armor and carrying weapons; the blond woman was an archer, the redhead and the woman with blue hair both wielded swords shaped like keys, and the brunette had a halberd leaning against her shoulder.

"Prince Hayner, you're alive! When you disappeared, everyone assumed the worst. What happened?" The green-eyed halberdier asked as the other male dismounted.

"I got cast through the Veil, ended up on Earth. Seifer here rescued me and helped me return."

"Hayner, you know the rule about outsiders."

"Yes, Olette, I'm fully aware I shouldn't have brought him here, but as far as I'm concerned we need all the help we can get. Would you rather I still be over there?"

"Of course she doesn't, don't be an ass. Let's just set the issue aside for now and go inform everyone else that you're still alive. In the meantime, are you going to introduce us to your new friend, or just leave him in the dark?" The woman with dark red hair snapped, her weapon disappearing as she crossed her arms over her chest.

He swung down from the back of the steed and followed the others inside the building, the beast proceeding with him. Hayner moved to walk by his side, the women just a bit ahead of them. Apparently they all decided there was no need for defense any longer, their weapons collectively vanishing just as the redhead's had.

"The one on the far left is Olette, then the middle left is Namine, middle right is Kairi, and far right is Aqua. Another situation in which if you value your life, you'll avoid getting on their bad side. The Valkyries are the strongest knights in the realm, and also all female."

"Noted. So, Prince, huh?" He replied, curious as to why that hadn't come up yet.

"Would it really have changed anything?"

"No, it wouldn't have. I'd imagine it complicates things considerably though."

"Oh absolutely, you have no idea. The fact that you're a knight will too, but we'll get to that later."

Eventually they made it to what appeared to be a Great Hall, several people turning to them with varied expressions of surprise. He wasn't sure if they were reacting to him, the unicorn, or the returning royal. Perhaps a mix of all three. The woman on the throne looked just like her son, long blond hair and brown eyes. As she stood, her wings unfurled, black with flecks of blue flashing. Hayner walked up to her and she ran a hand through his hair with a quiet smile. They exchanged words briefly, most of which he could tell were about him. She gestured to him and led the two of them into a room off the hall, shutting the door behind them.

"Thank you for saving my son, Seifer, but I have to ask what your reason for coming here was."

"I just wanted to help, honestly. Didn't seem right to just give up halfway through."

"Are you a knight?" She asked, eyes narrowing calculatingly.

"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?"

"I suppose it doesn't matter yet. Help the Valkyries protect my son, won't you? If something happens to him again I doubt there will be another there so willing to aid him."

"Of course. It would be pointless to come here if I wasn't going to try and keep him safe."

She whispered something to him and he blushed as she brushed past him to return to the court, most likely to field inquiries into the stranger without wings. Seifer didn't particularly envy her position. The dark-eyed man led him to a room where he could sleep, bidding him a good night and leaving far too hastily to be natural. Frowning, he headed out onto the balcony connecting several rooms to find his mount waiting for him, likely sent here by one of the female knights. Stroking his muscular neck, he wondered how time passed in his world as compared to here, hoping he wouldn't return to find a hundred years had passed or something to that effect.

Even after the twin moons rose in the sky he couldn't sleep, instead looking out over the landscape. He supposed there was a reason he wasn't unconscious yet, if he had been he would have missed Hayner flying away from the castle unaccompanied. Swearing, he left his cloak behind on the hook he'd hung it on and mounted Bellerophon, urging him in the direction of the fleeing prince. He hadn't known Hayner for very long, but he got the feeling the other didn't exactly do the safest things. There was no reason for him to have been fighting alone in the first place, it wouldn't be too much of a jump to expect him to attempt to get his sword back and fight the King again.

"Hayner! What the fuck are you doing?"

"What do you think, Seifer? Either help me or go back and go to sleep, I'm not going to stop."

"You're really self-sacrificial for a royal, idiotically reckless too," he replied disparagingly, following the other regardless, "What makes you think you'll even be able to get to the King, doesn't he have guards?"

"Yes, but they won't be hard to avoid. They're not expecting us."

"Most people aren't stupid enough to risk their life doing the same thing twice."

"Whatever, asshole. Just because you'd be too much of a coward doesn't mean everyone is."

"I'm not a coward, Hayner. I'm here, aren't I?"

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything. What kind of weapon do you wield anyway?"

"It's called a gunblade, not sure if you have firearms in this world, but it's a sword with the capability of firing projectile rounds," he explained briefly as he pulled Hyperion out for him to see.

"Is that iron?" The brown-eyed blond asked as he eyed the weapon warily.

"Steel, but yes. Why?"

"It's poison to faeries, if you noticed all of our weapons are crafted out of silver."

"I suppose that will come in handy then. Is there a reason why, or that's just the way things are?"

"Just the way things are, far as I know. If you wound a faery with a weapon made of iron they'll be dead within an hour, quicker if you deal a serious blow. So, be careful?"

He sheathed his weapon again, unsettled by the idea that he could kill the other by accident, "Yeah, definitely. Wouldn't hurt you, Hay."

As they neared the dark mountains he realized there was a small black fortress built into it, dim lights visible through the few windows there. Bellerophon grew restless as the air around them changed, growing hotter, more oppressive. There was something sharp about the smell of it, like burning metal. The unicorn circled a tower once and as he looked down into the courtyard he saw the source, they were smelting iron in massive pits. Huge creatures toiled at the machinery involved, a few faeries keeping watch over them.

"Is that new, or another thing you forgot to mention?" The muscular blond asked, voice heavy with irritation.

"Would it really have mattered?" He answered automatically, apparently his new favorite phrase, "I haven't told anyone about this, and this is why I was attacking him in the first place. I don't want to get the whole damn kingdom involved in a war we will inevitably lose. The Valkyries suspect it, but no one actually knows I got into it with Xemnas, hopefully no one will have to until after he's dead."

"Why don't you let your knights help you? It seems like they're completely capable of handing your ass to you, why wouldn't you want them at your back?"

The prince laughed shortly, a lilting huff of breath, "It's so stupid. You know how the Queen asked you if you were a knight? There's a prophecy that the knight that kills the Dark King will marry the prince of the faeries. I didn't really like the idea of having to marry one of the Valkyries, you know?"

"Why not? You seem to get along well enough with them."

"I'm…There's probably not even a word for this where you come from. I'm not attracted to women."

"So you're attracted to men? And that's why me being a knight is such an issue. Huh, interesting."

"That's all you have to say, it's interesting? Aren't you, I don't know, worried?" The lithe man asked once they landed on one of the abandoned ramparts.

"Why would I be? Just because a seer says something happens doesn't mean you have to do it. Destiny is just a suggestion, in my opinion. Even if I do kill the bastard, doesn't mean you have to marry me, idiot."

Hayner looked at him oddly, probably thinking over the pale-eyed man's wording, but he let the topic drop in favor of sneaking into the main building of the structure. A few well-placed punches took out the three faery guards they encountered on their way to Xemnas's throne room. The man himself sat on the throne with a bored expression, smirking at them darkly when they entered.

"Hayner, you've come back. I was hoping you'd died in the other world already, but I suppose failing once isn't good enough for you…But where are my manners, I should entertain my guests."

He lifted his hand and twisting tendrils of darkness swirled around it, summoning what appeared to be three ogres into the hall in a burst of smoky energy. By the time he'd drawn his gunblade two of them had converged on him, one knocking him into the nearest wall with a swing of its thick arm. Pain lanced up his spine when he collided with the cold stone but he managed to block the next attack and slash back at the creature's chest. Xemnas laughed and threw the young prince his sword so he could battle the remaining hulking monster.

Managing to get in a lucky hit, Seifer took out his first opponent with a deep cut at the neck, the ogre screaming and collapsing as it bled out. The second slammed a fist into his chest hard enough to drop him, the sound of ribs cracking assaulting his ears. Rolling out of the way of the green monster's elbow drop, he healed himself as best he could in the time he had, suspecting he was bleeding internally by the continued intense pain in his chest. Shooting at his enemy to fend it off until he could regroup, he pushed himself to his feet and spared his companion a glance. The man with butterfly wings was faring decently against the third opponent, the last ogre bleeding heavily from several wounds.

Dodging the next swing, he drove his sword deep into the bulky humanoid's chest, pushing the dying body off his weapon with his boot. Taking a moment to do a better job of healing himself, he saw Hayner take the head off the final monstrosity, impressed with his sword work. Xemnas summoned two glowing swords to his hands and stood from his throne, deigning to actually fight them rather than send his minions in again. Seifer moved to fight by his new friend's side but was immediately thrown back by a wave of inky purple magic and held against the opposite wall.

It didn't take long before he understood why Hayner had lost in the first place; the dark faery could teleport at will, making it almost impossible to defend against him. Within two minutes of trading blows the dark-skinned man had disarmed his opponent, banishing one of his own swords to catch the flying silver blade. Using the elder faery's distraction to his advantage, he slashed through the web of darkness that had ensnared him, just in time to see the silver-haired man teleport behind the prince and run him through the chest with his own sword.

Ignoring the curious stuttering of his own heart, he took aim and fired three rounds into the King's body as the brown-eyed blond collapsed. At first the faery with eerie orange eyes laughed, but after a few seconds he wheezed, blackened veins spidering up his neck from under his dark robe. Dropping the prince's sword, he stepped backwards and clutched at the bullets in his abdomen, eyes rolling back in his head before he crumpled to the stone floor. Any other details of his demise were lost on the knight, who found himself at the younger blond's side and muttering the words to a powerful healing spell before he made the conscious decision to move.

"You're such an ass, Seifer," he cursed, wincing as he spoke.

"I know, now shut up. You're not allowed to die on me, you're the only person I know here."

"Don't know if I have much of a choice."

The sound of hooves against stone alerted him to the surprise arrival of the winged unicorn, Bellerophon shaking his mane and looking at the scarred man. He lowered his fearsome horn to the sandy-blond's chest, a bright light emanating from it. Seifer remembered his mother telling him that unicorns could heal any wounds if they deemed the person worthy of being helped. The prince's fatal injury mended itself, dark eyes flicking between the black steed and the kneeling knight. Lifting Hayner into his arms, he placed the smaller male on the horse's back, collected the discarded silver sword, and swung up in front of him, letting the other drape himself across his broad back before asking the black Pegasus to take them home. He wondered when he'd started considering a castle in a world he'd been in for less than a day home.

"You still with me, Hay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine now, thanks to you and Bellerophon. You really are a jerk though."

"No one has to know I was even there, much less that I killed the guy."

"You'd really give up that kind of glory just to help me?"

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to be fairly well known just for being the only guy around who isn't a faery."

"You're actually really sweet. At first I thought it was an act, but it's just the way you are. Kind in your own way, but still very kind. Thank you, for saving my life twice."

"I'd say any time, but I'm not going to be as tolerant of you getting yourself injured that badly after this. I can't…" He trailed off, not sure he knew how he was going to finish the sentence and wondering why he started it in the first place.

"I'll be more careful, alright? I don't think it's right to keep this from people though. It's not like the Queen is going to force you to marry me, wouldn't be right since you're not only an outsider, but a guy."

"I don't really see those being problems, but I would rather be able to make my own choice. You're not the only one who dislikes being told how to live their life."

"So you…?"

"Yeah, I'm attracted to guys too. Just because there isn't a word for it doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

Hayner hummed low and rested his forehead against Seifer's neck, and it was comfortable. Sometimes it was pointless to question things, so he just enjoyed it until they reached his balcony and landed. Helping his still-weak companion dismount, he bid the other goodnight, and received an oddly warm smile in return before the other disappeared down the hall. Shaking his head and running a hand through his hair, he went to bed. He didn't love the prince, he hadn't even known the guy for a day yet, but he definitely felt as though he could, eventually. He cared, and that was unusual for him, in any other situation he would probably have let the person go through the Veil by themselves and be done with his good deed for the day, but for Hayner he'd risked his life and crossed the boundaries between the worlds just to see him home safely. It occurred to him that other than to get Fuu and Rai, he didn't really want to go home. Compared to here, it had nothing to offer him.

* * *

><p>He woke slowly to the warm sun on his back, chest still sore from his injuries last night, but otherwise relaxed and well-rested. The knight cleaned and got dressed in a utilitarian fashion out of habit rather than necessity, but even if he didn't do it automatically he probably still would; some comforts were less obvious than others. The black stallion had disappeared from the balcony, but he didn't worry about it too much, assumed he had either moved on or was being fed somewhere. Walking out of his room, he realized he had no idea how to get to Hayner's room, or any other place in the castle for that matter. Luckily it wasn't long before he ran into the prince, literally. It was a mystery why the blond man was running in the first place, and if was anyone else Seifer would complain about being knocked over. As it was he was distracted by the fact that the handsome faery was straddling him, hands on his chest as he stared down at the knight, who had moved his hands automatically to catch him, now resting on the brown-eyed male's hips.<p>

"Sorry, didn't mean-"

"It's fine, Hay. What were you running from?"

"Uh, so Olette found out about last night and she's displeased with our recklessness, mostly mine," he said, glancing behind him but making no move to get up.

The brunette turned the corner, brows furrowed under the fringe of her bangs. Large green eyes blinked several times as she took in their positions, and the sandy-blond faery blushed deeply.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes, Hayner and I were actually just going to start having sex on the floor," the scarred man deadpanned, quirking an eyebrow at her.

"Don't joke like that around the Queen, she won't find it very funny from someone she doesn't know at all. You've both been summoned, and it appears as though I can't strangle either of you, unfortunately. I'd expect this kind of idiocy out of Hayner, but you really should be more responsible, you're a knight, aren't you?" She said, hands on her hips in a challenging gesture.

"Knights protect people, regardless of how stupid of a risk they're taking. Not my fault I got stuck with this guy."

"Good to know you're such a big fan, Seif. Come on, not a great idea to keep my mother waiting," he said as he finally stood and stepped away to allow the larger man to get up.

"Sorry for dallying so long, prince," he returned dully, shooting the other a gentle glare.

Olette looked between them curiously, but fell in step behind them as the other led. He was wearing a deep green tunic and actual pants in a dark brown color today, and Seifer wondered if that was normal for him, or if he changed for the older blond's benefit. The Valkyrie joined up with her counterparts and left them at the door to another strange room in the expansive structure, remaining outside ostensibly to guard it, but more likely to eavesdrop.

"The scouts have reported that the Dark Faery King's fortress has fallen into ruin, and upon further investigation found his body in the throne room, killed by small iron pellets. As no faery can handle iron, I can only assume this is your doing, Seifer. Judging by the bloodstains on your clothes, I'm sure you had a hand in it as well, Hayner. Care to explain yourselves?"

"I flew out last night and Seifer went after me, it's my fault he was there at all. I had to recover my sword from fighting Xemnas the first time, which is how I fell through the Veil. He had an army of dark creatures that he was using to mass produce iron weapons to start a war, I couldn't just let him continue and I wasn't about to drag anyone else into my endeavor."

"So why did you let Seifer accompany you?"

"I refused to leave, I'm fairly impossible to dissuade," the pale-eyed man interjected with a wry smile.

"I suppose I should be thank you for protecting my son and ridding us of a man bent on our destruction. Did he tell you about the prophecy?"

"He mentioned it, but I don't really put a lot of stock in destiny. Don't think someone should have to marry me just because I helped them kill a threat to their kingdom."

"I won't force you two together, but fate is rarely wrong about things such as this. Were you planning on leaving us, Seifer?"

Hayner's eyes widened slightly and he frowned, perhaps just realizing that the knight did have another homeland he might want to return to. As far as the other knew, he was only here to help the prince with his enemy, and then leave to continue leading his fairly mundane life. He automatically placed his hand at the smaller male's lower back reassuringly. Although the scarred man did want to return briefly, he didn't want to stay there any longer than was necessary to retrieve his two best friends and bring them here, if it was allowed. He supposed he could always ask, while the Queen was in his debt.

"I'd like to stay, but I have two friends who are also knights in my world. I was wondering if I could bring them here."

She narrowed her eyes at him searchingly, but after a few beats relaxed, "Considering you've saved Hayner's life twice without expecting anything in return, I would be happy to allow your friends here. The rule against outsiders is intended to keep out those who would do us harm. If that was your intent, you're doing a very poor job of it."

"That's the exact opposite of what I've been trained the last eight years to do, besides, Hayner's too cute to betray."

The spiky-haired man scoffed and shoved him irritably, blushing. The Queen laughed, a soft, pleasant sound. It seemed like underneath her stoic exterior she was a warm individual. She asked the male faery to give the white-clad knight another charm so he could return with his friends once he was sent back to his own world by a spell, and bid them on their way. It seemed as though she was satisfied with their explanation enough to leave them be for the moment.

"You are coming back, right?" The brown-eyed man asked with a hint of uncertainty as they walked away.

"Of course, Hay. Why are you worried?"

"Because I care."

He smirked a bit and ran a hand through the sandy-blond spikes, an odd show of affection from him, but it felt necessary. His counterpart smiled in response, so clearly it was the right thing to do. They went to Hayner's room to perform the spell, the charm he needed there and the space and privacy lending itself well to opening a portal to the other world. He explained the location of his friends and the younger of the two said he could set the portal to send him close to where they were, if not right next to them. The lithe blond then handed him a small butterfly charm made of green stone, explaining that it was already spelled to bring him back here when he needed to return.

"Time works the same here as it does there, so you should arrive shortly after you left. And hopefully return here quickly as well."

"I get it, I'll leave as soon as I find them, don't worry."

The prince's lips twitched upwards briefly and he spoke the words to the spell to open a portal, the tear in reality looking the same as it had the first time they jumped across the Veil. With a smirk and a wave, he stepped through, and right into the jungle. The jungle floor was moist and he was certain he'd need to clean his clothes when he got back as he brushed the mud off his front. Glancing around, he thought he could smell fire somewhere nearby. He followed the scent to a small man-made fire, guarded by none other than Fuujin. She started and pulled her weapon when he walked close enough for her to hear, face betraying confusion as she lowered it.

"Seifer?" She asked loudly, red eye searching him.

"Yeah, it's me Fuu. Where's Rai? I have something important to talk with you two about."

"Right here Seif, how did you get here?" The larger man replied as he walked back to their small camp with more firewood.

"This is going to be hard to explain, so you're just going to trust me on most of this. I rescued the prince of the faeries and he took me to their world and I've come to take you back there as well. If you want to go, obviously."

They stared at him blankly for at least a minute, perhaps waiting for a punchline, when Rai finally spoke up, "Well, let's go then. If you really think it's better there, no reason not to. We'd follow you anywhere you asked us to, Seif, ya know?"

"I'm glad to hear you say that, because I had nothing that sounded saner to convince you with. I'm going to open a portal, and you guys will have to step through it with me to get there."

They nodded and set about gathering their things and putting the fire out while he focused a small amount of magic into the butterfly pendant to activate it. It scattered and reopened the barrier between worlds for them without any difficulty, and his best friends nodded at him before walking through, Raijin holding his girlfriend's hand. Naturally Seifer crashed in on top of him, because no one had thought to make a spell that allowed someone to come out of the threshold upright; that would be _ridiculous._

"That didn't take long," Hayner commented from where he was sitting by the window.

"Yeah, well, I knew you'd worry, and my friends are pretty tolerant of the absurd shit I ask them to do. Rai, Fuu, this is Hayner. Hay, this is Raijin and Fuujin, the only people in the other world remotely worth my time."

"Hello," the silver-haired woman said in her typical way, causing the prince to flinch slightly.

"What she means is that it's nice to meet you, Hayner. Does everyone here have wings, ya know?"

"Yeah, we all do. Um," he paused, looking between them and Seifer, Fuu eventually catching on and dragging the black-haired man out of the room.

"Something wrong?" Seifer asked, canting his head curiously at the other's sudden antisocial behavior.

"No, nothing wrong. One of the scouts found the necklace I was wearing when I lost to Xemnas the first time in his throne room and brought it back to me. I wanted…" He trailed off as he walked over.

Apparently having given up on words entirely, he just reached up and clasped the silver chain that held a small pendant around the knight's neck. The pendant itself was darkly translucent, a strange fire-like blue light inside flashing periodically. When the prince didn't move away he understood, and decided maybe destiny wasn't all bad as he leaned down to kiss the other softly.


	52. Library

It took me a bit longer, I spent two days working on my five or six multichapter fics instead of this because I have too many projects. Happy Easter everyone! Also this borrows overmuch from Assassin's Creed, but we all know we'd play the shit out of an Assassin's Creed/Kingdom Hearts crossover. If Square can give players the option to dress a character as Ezio (Noel from XIII-2), then I too can take liberties.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

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><p>052. Library<p>

Hayner knew his research schedule was getting more than ridiculous, but he couldn't help that he was interested in his topic. He had recently discovered a link between a group of ancient assassins and the legends of the keyblade wielders, leaving him to delve through timeworn accounts of both parties and the time periods they shared to find more lost information. It was probably one in the morning and he was still in the university's library, but they let him stay after hours because his research was important enough to them. It was probably the main reason they hired him as a history professor, not that he wasn't otherwise qualified.

He had class in the morning and his TA was good enough to manage without him, she was downright fantastic, but he wasn't about to just dump everything on Aqua without so much as a heads up. Looking at his watch, he frowned; it was actually two-fifty and he had to be up at six. Opting to just sleep during the late afternoon since he didn't have any classes after three today, he rubbed his eyes and got back to work. Just in case, he set his phone to go off at six. Even if he didn't fall asleep he had a habit of losing track of time.

It shouldn't have surprised him that he fell asleep, but he was still moderately unimpressed when he realized he was dreaming. Before long that feeling gave way to confusion, as the dream world continued to warp around him despite him knowing he was dreaming. Usually at this point he could either wake up or control the situation, but it kept spiraling away from him. He fell onto a battlefield full of cloaked figures and brightly-colored warriors. The warriors and white-clad assassins were fighting the enemies in black robes that Hayner recognized as the sect that the keyblade wielders and assassins had formed a pact to defeat.

Glancing down at himself, he realized he was an assassin, and injured beyond that. There was a shallow cut in his side that was bleeding through his clothing and to his surprise it actually hurt. A man with eyes the color of ice and a scar slashed between them said something to him and offered him a hand up, concern over his injury apparent. The man handed him a potion and leaned in to kiss him gently, the kind of contact only lovers shared. They ran together back into the fray, and he came out of the dream just as abruptly as he'd gotten dumped into it.

He woke up a few minutes before his alarm went off, confused and disturbed but lacking the time to really dwell on it. Stuffing the few books he hadn't managed to read through into his bag, he headed for his office to drop them off and get what he needed for his three classes. Though his blue-haired TA commented on his tired appearance, she didn't press any further and attempted to pick up the slack for him in class. It dragged along, mostly because he wanted to sleep and get back to work. It was Friday, so at the very least he could have most of the weekend to not use his own office for research. In his opinion it was incredibly inefficient, he often came across things he needed explained or cross referenced, and it was so much easier to walk over to a shelf than it was to walk across campus to the library.

The brown-eyed professor dreamed of the scarred assassin every time he fell asleep, including one dream in which they were making love, making him wake feeling aroused and lucky that he was in his own bed. He really needed to find out what was causing the vivid dreams so he could stop them. It wasn't that the content bothered him so much as how much sensation he had, pain, touch, taste; dreams weren't supposed to feel that real. They kept him up most nights after he'd woken from them, doubling his sleep issues. He'd almost fallen asleep in the brief meeting the history department members had to discuss the sudden resignation of one of their professors the day before, but Zexion was nice enough to elbow him awake when he started to nod off. The stoic man was actually quite considerate under his frigid exterior, something that surprised him when he first noticed it.

"Mr. Dincht, since you don't have any classes Wednesday or Friday afternoons, we're going to have you temporarily take over Mr. Brown's classes. I've already emailed you the times and locations of his lectures, and the numbers and names of his two graduate assistants, and assure you we already have a few candidates in line for interviews to replace him," his brunette department head said evenly.

"Alright, I'll do it. Is that all we had to discuss?" He returned, knowing he had a ton of extra shit to take care of now if he wanted to be remotely prepared to teach that many classes for a week or two.

"Yes, I'll leave you to prepare. I'm sure you'll do well, you're quite adept at teaching despite your age," the woman finished with a meaningful look, essentially pinning all the responsibility for the former-teacher's students on him lest he look incompetent.

He received an email from the same woman six days later, telling him Mr. Brown's replacement would be arriving on Tuesday to rescue him, though not in those exact words. He knew he should attempt to greet the new professor, but he figured it could wait until he had actually slept for more than an hour in a night. For the past five days he only slept long enough to dream of assassins and keyblades and war and woke in no state to return to sleep. So Tuesday night found him once again in the library, fully expecting to pass out on a book at some point and start awake briefly after that. He opted to simply wear jeans and a hoodie since he'd be alone, not in the mood to dress up when no one was going to see him in the first place.

To his surprise there was still one other person in the library long after it should have closed, but they were clear on the other side of the building and he didn't feel like walking that far just to see who they were and what the hell was wrong with them. Shivering, quite possibly running a fever, he pulled his hood up and wrapped his arms around himself to stay warmer, momentarily wondering why he was doing this. It wasn't like he really had that much of a choice, he couldn't sleep, he might as well be turning his insomnia into something useful. It wasn't long after the words started swimming on the page that he drifted off.

This time he didn't dream about being a killer in a war for the lives of everyone he cared about, instead he just floated in dreamspace for a while. Eventually something roused him, an insistent noise and slightly jostling from the waking world bringing him back.

"If you're this tired, don't you think whatever you're working on can wait till the sun comes up?" Someone male to his left said, their hand on his shoulder.

"Fuck off, I haven't been able to sleep worth a damn for a week," he spat as he rubbed his forehead and pushed the hood off his head.

He ran a hand through his hair to spike it back up and turned to the other finally, freezing and letting his arm fall to his side as he took in the same man he'd been dreaming about for days on end. The other looked equally shocked, pale eyes searching in confusion. There was a thick book under his arm titled _A History of Reincarnation and Past Life Accounts_ and he got the feeling this person was in about the same boat he was.

"That makes two of us then. I guess I need to introduce myself, I'm Seifer Almasy and I've been dreaming about you every night for over two weeks."

"Hi, I'm Hayner Dincht, and likewise. You…wouldn't happen to be the new History professor, would you?"

The other smirked, "Yeah, I am. And you're the guy who had to take over that asshole's classes until I could replace him. You're studying the war we participated in at one time, right?"

"Yes, and…Fuck this," he cut himself off, standing and jerking the other man in for a kiss by his tie.

"You haven't changed at all over the centuries, Hayner. So, are you going to go back to work, or…?"

"The second one, I don't feel like spending any more time with books tonight. You want to go back to my place, it's less than a mile from campus?" He returned, aware he was being forward but as far as he was concerned they'd known each other for quite a while.

"Sounds great, but won't you be late for your morning classes if you fall asleep? It's four in the morning," the taller blond added, either unwilling or unable to untangle himself from his counterpart, instead winding his hands into Hayner's hair.

"I'm sure no one will complain if I cancel on account of illness, I'll email them."

He probably shouldn't have slept with a colleague after only technically knowing them for an hour, but then he probably also shouldn't have been having dreams about a past life he'd shared with him. Content, he fell asleep in Seifer's arms and was certain it would be a while before he woke back up.


	53. Princess

Felt like cocking up Sleeping Beauty for my own purposes, and that is absolutely a double entendre.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

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><p>053. Princess<p>

Seifer reined in his horse, observing the canes of thorns the circumference of his forearm surrounding the tower his target was in. The boy he'd seen in the forest had been a cursed prince all along, and was currently held under a sleeping spell to prevent him from completely falling victim to it. Hefting his gunblade, he smirked and started cutting his way through. The fairies had blessed it with the power to kill Maleficent after he managed to escape her grasp. They had apparently been coming to save him, but fuck if he needed to be rescued by a bunch of old women with magic wands. He might be a prince himself, but he'd trained as a knight, and he was exceptional at combat.

He wasn't really sure what had drawn him to the strange young man in the woods, but no matter what he was going to kill the bitch who'd kidnapped him and attempt to rescue the sandy-blond teen protected in the tower. It was still a mystery how he was going to wake the other up, the fairies had been enigmatic on the subject of breaking the spell, though they asserted that the death of the wicked fairy wouldn't be enough. The blond man winced at a deep cut in his bicep from the thicket, thankful that his steed had armor to protect it from the barrage of thorns. His horse didn't deserve to be injured just because its owner was stupid enough to try and fight a dragon to save a prince. Finally free of the swath of sharp foliage, he could see the looming shadow of the black dragon next to the castle, scowling at her. It wasn't enough she could use magic against him, she just had to turn the tables further and become a massive fire-breathing creature too. Samson remained steadfast beneath him, and he appreciated that his horse didn't baulk in the face of anything; most beasts would have bucked him off and taken off as fast as they could by now.

With a vicious cackle the scaly monster descended upon him, Samson rearing and turning out of the path of a pillar of green flame that erupted from her maw. Dismounting and sending his steed out of the way, he turned to face her on foot. Her serpentine form crawled closer to him, dark claws digging into the ground as she gulped in another breath to scorch the area. Ducking and rolling toward her and away from the heat, he aimed a few shots at her face, causing her to fling her head side to side in agony. She swept him away with one claw, a single blade-like talon biting into his leg. Unable to maneuver quickly enough to evade her, he concentrated and flung his weapon towards her chest, catching her in the heart. Her last gust of fire breath was pointed toward the sky as she fell backwards over the cliff, taking his weapon with her. Frustrated at the loss of Hyperion, he collected Samson and led him into the main hall of the castle to rest while his rider ascended the tallest tower. Naturally it had to be several stories, since he was bleeding badly from his injury and it hurt just to walk, much more to climb stairs.

Breathing heavily as he finally reached the top of the spiraling structure, he nearly collapsed on the bed the handsome blond male was sleeping in, pant leg soaked through. The fairies finally caught up to him, the pink one carrying his sword in her small hands. Accepting the proffered weapon more graciously than he usually would, he was glad for their presence, mostly because they healed his leg.

"So, how do I get him to wake up?"

"The spell on Prince Hayner can only be broken by a kiss by his true love," Merryweather explained, clasping her hands together.

"…Are you fucking kidding me?"

The fairies look scandalized before Flora finally replied, "No, we're absolutely serious. That's the only way to wake him and everyone else in the kingdom up."

"And how is that supposed to happen if everyone is unconscious? Whoever his true love is, if they exist, they're sleeping right now."

"Well, you're not sleeping," Fauna said, and apparently that was supposed to mean something because they were all staring at him.

"Thank you, I wasn't aware of that. Clears everything up for me. What are you trying to get at?" The scarred blond pressed, getting bored of being in the dark.

"_You_ have to kiss Hayner to wake him up, Prince Seifer."

"So you think I'm his true love, really? Are all fairies crazy, or just the four I've met so far?"

"We won't let you leave until you at least try it," Merryweather threatened, crossing her tiny arms over her chest.

Rolling his eyes, he decided to humor them, if only to get them to figure out who really was able to wake the sleeping male. Pressing their lips together, he felt mildly disturbed that he was kissing an unconscious boy two years his junior. There was something incredibly fucked up about the whole situation that he decided not to think too long on, pulling away and about to say something when Hayner's eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks. He opened his dark eyes and immediately put a hand to his head, likely waking up with a headache. Confused, he turned to glare at the colorful fairies, certain they had something to do with this.

"Someone needs to explain what the hell happened," the younger prince demanded irascibly.

"Maleficent succeeded in her curse, but we waylaid it with a spell for deep sleep long ago, so you and everyone else had fallen into a slumber from which they wouldn't wake up. Seifer killed the wicked fairy and broke the spell on you," the blue-clothed woman explained with a smile.

"Uh, thanks, Prince Seifer. How exactly did you break the spell?" He pressed, sitting up and shifting to hang his legs over the edge of the bed.

"These insane women made me kiss you."

"Seifer is your soulmate, and only his kiss could wake you from your sleep."

"Here we go, look, I've done my part, I'm out of here. Sorry for kissing you while you were unconscious Hayner," he added, standing and starting towards the stairs.

"If you're really sorry you'll wait," the other replied, following him and shoving him against the wall, "And let me return the favor."

Their lips melded together roughly, and the scarred man wasn't a big believer in love at first sight, but he was very willing to give it a chance if his counterpart would. The contact broke off before it could get downright inappropriate for their audience, and he smirked at the sandy-blond man. They descended the stairs together only to discover the court waiting for them, King Stefan unusually pleased at their involvement. He supposed that if he and Hayner got married they'd join the kingdoms, and he'd already saved both, so there was no reason for the other royal to be upset with his son having a male as his 'one true love'. Lacing his fingers together with the other blond's, he let the welcome him like he was already a family member.


	54. Shower

I could lie and pretend I hadn't always planned to make this prompt smut, but I'll be honest and admit I never had a wholesome thought about this one. Kinda short because I'm lazy.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: M for smut

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><p>054. Shower<p>

Hayner had known being roommates with Seifer was a horrible idea, not because the other man was a bad roommate, but because he'd had a massive crush on the guy since forever. It was absolutely not okay for him to be having sexual thoughts about his old high school rival and living with him at the same time, since they were definitely _not_ having sex, likely ever. He realized this, but at the same time he was biting his lip and jacking off in the shower to thoughts of the man just twenty feet away. Coming with a choked version of the scarred blond's name, he breathed deeply for a few seconds and finished his shower, flushed not just from the heat of the water. Inappropriate.

Drying off and wrapping the towel around his waist he left the bathroom, steam still rolling off his body. His companion walked by and smirked at him, the older man apparently on the way to his bedroom. Shrugging it off, he went about his business as usual, the whole shower incident falling from memory like all those before it.

It wasn't until the next time he was doing the same that he realized his counterpart had caught onto him, but he didn't really mind considering how Seifer addressed it. He was hard pressed to think in coherent sentences when he suddenly found himself sharing a shower with a very naked, very attractive blond man. His back hurt when he was shoved against the wall, but he quickly forgot it when his roommate pressed their bodies together and kissed him roughly, hands trailing down his flanks once the larger was sure he wasn't going anywhere.

"Fuck you're hot, but why…" He trailed off, panting against the other's mouth.

"'Cause I'll be damned if I let you have sexual fantasies about me and not let me participate. Wanted you for years, idiot."

"Could have said something,_ fuck_," he hissed as the other grabbed their dicks and began stroking them together.

Devolving into complete incoherency, he kissed the other deeply, moaning into the scarred man's mouth. He really hoped this would become a frequent thing, because if not he'd actually lose his mind being around the muscular bully all the time and unable to touch him. The sight of Seifer's eyes blown wide with lust was something he could get used to.

Considering how amped up they both were, it wasn't surprising that it didn't take long for them to climax, Hayner driving his teeth deep into the junction between the other's shoulder and neck when he came. He could taste blood, and he knew the platinum-blond man was going to be pissed when that bruised, but he also knew Seifer was absolutely a violent lover. His roommate would probably just get him back for it later.

"Christ, Hay," the man with ice-colored eyes said against his lips as he dragged them back into the spray.

"That was unexpected, and awesome. So, is this a one-time thing, or…?"

"Do you want it to be? Because I'm up for a relationship, personally, and you really don't strike me as a friends with benefits guy."

"Only if we never mention that we got together because you accosted me in the shower. You're bleeding, by the way, sorry," he added, noting the crimson tears swirling into the water running down Seifer's pectoral.

"Don't apologize, I like it when you're rough. I love you, Hayner," he said finally, a warm, honest undercurrent to his voice.

"Love you too, Seifer. Water's getting cold though, wanna take this to the couch or something?"

He nodded and reached behind the brown-eyed man to shut the water off, licking the water off Hayner's neck and dragging him out of the shower. They dried off and ended up curled together on the couch half-clothed, Seifer trailing affectionate kisses down his chest while pushing him down into the cushions. When the handsome man paused for a moment his boyfriend trailed his fingers along the scar and pulled him in for a gentle kiss. He wondered how he'd actually explain this to his friends, and promptly dropped the thought in favor of following whatever train of thought had his partner's pupils dilating.


	55. Bullets

A direct sequel to 049. Bullet. Note the plural in this one. The prompter requested a continuation, and here it ended up. Zemyx as well, because Zemyx is _awesome_.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>055. Bullets<p>

Seifer frowned when Hayner came into the meeting roomed on crutches, the urge to carry him everywhere stirring in his chest. He really hadn't intended to break the other spy's leg, it was a miscalculation on how the lithe blond would land. It genuinely angered him that their agency had put him in that kind of danger just to ensure their short-term goals were met, if anything had gone wrong they could have lost the only two truly talented spies they had. They could have gotten a man he'd never stopped loving killed just to get some information from him. If anything they just made him want to betray them more, if there was a better option out there.

"Seifer, Zexion. It's good to see that you're both alright," he said as he sat down at the conference table next to the scarred agent, the dark-haired man across from them.

"Get out, and don't come back," the eldest blond spat at the two guards, who disappeared at his glare.

"Hay, I'm-" He began, the other immediately cutting him off with a look.

"Don't say you're sorry for something that isn't your fault in the first place. Don't patronize me, asshole. They debriefed me a few days ago, but they refused to speak with me about future assignments and where the hell I'm going to find another handler. Can either of you enlighten me?"

"Zexion's been my handler for six months and I trust him, and as far as the agency is concerned it's best to throw all of their volatile agents in the same suicide team, so they want you and I to work together on missions."

"Okay one, that's never been done before, and two, why do I get thrown together with you?"

"Because apparently you not shooting me and ruining their plans makes you untrustworthy. The top brass are both paranoid and moronic."

"So they want two agents to work with the direction of just one handler that one of them doesn't even know, and will be putting us in the most dangerous situations they can find simply because you and I are really good at what we do? I'm sure they'll never believe that we're actually patriots, so I guess I should get used to it," he submitted, running a hand through his hair irritably.

"At the very least you may not have to deal with just one handler, a team is currently extracting my partner in crime and the best security system hacker the other side has to offer. Together the four of us should be able to survive long enough for even the agency to trust us again. He'll have to be put through the agency's screening process of course, but since you're not going to be able to walk for several weeks, that shouldn't be an issue," Zexion explained, expression cool.

"You mean the doctors say I won't be able to walk for several weeks. Far as I'm concerned I'll be off crutches in a week," he returned with a scowl.

"I'll carry you then, not letting you hurt yourself. Your ribs are broken too, you really shouldn't be pushing yourself, you know how badly a broken bone can botch an operation. How's your shoulder by the way?"

"Still hurts like a bitch, you know I'm left handed. You just wanted to make sure I couldn't adequately fight you off when you tried to coddle me, you conniving bastard. So, Zexion, what's your partner's name?" He changed the subject, probably knowing he couldn't win this sort of argument against Seifer.

"Demyx. He's not going to be what you expect, but trust me, he's a lot more than he appears."

"I know better to judge someone by their appearance, trust me. Otherwise I would have shot this stupid bastard back there. As it is if he tries to carry me I damn well will."

He smirked at the other, fond of his nasty temper. The scarred spy had gotten glimpses of him in the past seven years, catching him here or there in their security systems or given information regarding him by the agency to keep him from getting restless, like he was some pigeon they could lead on with seeds. Still, it was surprising to him how much the other had grown, both physically and mentally. Hayner was tall, handsome, fit, and very capable of handling himself in every situation. He supposed he always expected that out of his lithe rival, for him to grow from a kid he was incredibly fond of into exactly the kind of man he'd end up hopelessly in love with. Foolish on his part, but it wasn't like the older blond did it on purpose, it just happened.

The door opened and a woman stepped halfway into the room, looking between them for a moment before speaking, "Agent Six, your partner has arrived, you're allowed to visit him before we start the screening process."

For all his composure, the slate-haired man nearly jumped out of his chair, heading over to the door with a barely contained tension in his shoulders. He knew the reason why, of course, but it was still a little funny to see him show emotion for once. Even the fringe of hair falling over his face couldn't hide his excited expression and the vague longing in his eyes.

"He's so in love with Demyx," Hayner commented, watching the door for a moment.

"You catch on quick. Seriously though, are you okay? Your breathing's off."

"Dizzy, sick, my shoulder is throbbing. Hard to breathe with three broken ribs, don't apologize. Thanks for the gift, by the way, really appreciate it."

"Figured you'd want your gun back, I know you get attached to your weapons."

Hayner moved to pull the aforementioned pistol out from where it rested at his back, and Seifer had just enough time to register the click of the safety before his companion was kneeling in his lap and had the gun pressed against his temple, hand yanking on his hair. His dark eyes were vicious and cold, and he was pissed.

"Explain your note, Seifer, and don't lie to me. I will not be fucked around with."

"Not fucking with you, chickadee, never would. I care about you, it's about the only reason I didn't give up on this operation two years ago when I started having to kill other agents after being involved with the group for a year. The company found out about my fondness for you and they used it against me and I ended up getting you dragged into this. For that I am sorry. I love you."

"Goddamn it Seifer, I was over you. I finally fucking get over your stupid ass when I was recruited and you were here the whole time and now you waltz back into my life and _love me_. Go to hell Seifer, I love you too and you shouldn't be allowed to do this to me," the other replied, voice low and anguished.

The smaller assassin put the safety back on his weapon and tucked it back into his waistband, letting go of his counterpart and just watching him, a sudden quietness about him. Hoping the fight had fled out of him for the minute, the blue-eyed man leaned up the short distance between them and kissed him. It was slow and gentle for a few seconds, then the sandy-blond bit his lip hard enough to bleed and he pulled away questioningly.

"The painkillers are wearing off, I'd really like to get back to my quarters and go to sleep, don't have time for wherever this is going."

"I'll carry you there, alright? Crutches are not good for your ribs or your shoulder."

"And you carrying me is not good for my ego or reputation, and that takes a lot longer to heal."

"Hay, you're the best agent in the history of this company, think your reputation can take a hit and still be just fine. You used to let me carry you when you were hurt even when we were still rivals and beat the shit out of each other."

"Fine, whatever, if I don't agree you'll just knock me out and it'll be twice as bad. If anyone laughs I'm shooting them in the knee."

"Whatever you want, chickadee."

The other curled into him so he could more easily lift the lithe blond into his arms and stand, heading toward the door. Hayner was heavy, it was easy to forget given his lighter frame, but he was more muscular than he used to be, hard everywhere he was once soft. Chocolate-colored eyes watched him as they walked to the other's room, and he distantly knew it was a little creepy that he knew which room his fellow agent lived in during the short time he was actually here. Weird was par for them though, so he doubted the other would even comment.

"Do you think we'll survive this company, Seif? 'Cause I really don't, since this happened. I get the feeling they want us dead."

"They're going to do their damndest to get us killed, but I think it's more because we're capable of handling it. We still have to take out the faction I was undercover in for so long, and it's not going to be easy, even with the information I've gotten out of them. I don't doubt that we'll be taking on that one ourselves. I won't let you die, Hayner, I promise. Not as long as I'm alive."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, sweetheart."

"I don't, chickadee."

They ended up curled together, mostly clothed, in the younger man's bed. Hayner was in too much pain to do anything but sleep, and Seifer was happy to just hold him in his arms after wanting this for so long. Seeing the bruises, bandages and leg brace on the other made him feel cold, and seriously question why he was still working for a company that had forced them into these positions. At the very least they hadn't tried to put his leg in a cast after he'd cut off the last six less than a week after they were put on. He was incredibly impatient. Massaging his partner's scalp, the blue-eyed man mused that they were lucky that wasn't a shared trait between them.

* * *

><p>Hayner knew they were fucked when he heard gunshots through his comm to his handlers, Demyx screaming at his lover before it cut out. There was another bug in the agency all along and they'd ratted out the location of Zexion and the blond hacker he worked with, that was the only way they could have been discovered. He briefly heard Seifer talking to him over their remaining link before he quickly said he was compromised and that too turned to silence. Breathing deeply, he pulled out the earpiece and crushed it in his hand, the tiny metal components cutting into his palm. There wasn't any time to wonder if they were alive or dead, or cry, or experience any emotion except a dark rage. With a cold emptiness growing in the pit of his stomach, he continued crawling through the ventilation duct he was in.<p>

Eventually he realized he could hear something being broadcast through the overhead speakers in the facility, and it was a challenge to him, personally. That they knew his full name chilled him to the bone, and he knew it would take a miracle for him to get out of this life alive now. If they'd sent that information to others there would be a price on his head that no relocation program could combat. There was something truly hopeless about his situation, the depression he'd taken this job to ignore with adrenaline and painkillers resurfacing for a scant few minutes as he continued toward the deepest part of the compound. The duct would stop before there; they were smart enough to have a dedicated system for the innermost rooms to prevent gas and intruders, but he knew a way around their security systems whether Demyx was there to back him up or not. He wasn't the best for nothing, he had enough skills to be his own handler in the event shit really hit the fan and he had no exit, and that made him uniquely capable.

Getting past the entry panels was easy enough, just a matter of finding a guard with a prox fob on their keys and using the key on the floor security supervisor's ring to override the lock and avoid the pin. Double credential locks had long ago ceased to be a threat to him. By the time he made it to the master control room he'd picked up a second magnum, knowing he couldn't manage this with just one gun that had two clips left. To his surprise, Vexen was the only one at the terminal, immediately telling him to freeze and drop his weapons while remaining hunched over the screens.

"Why should I, fuckhead?"

"Temper, Hayner, you know you have a problem controlling your anger. If you shoot me, I'll kill your lover and your handlers. They're locked in a room and I've cut off the air supply entirely, only my pin can restore it, and you can't figure it out fast enough to save them. Demyx could, but you can't. Such a shame about your personnel problem."

"Alright, so if you're holding them hostage, you want something from me, explain."

"Now's not the time to be pushy, Agent Dincht. Your old handler met with an unfortunate fate at the hands of your agency's men, and with him died our list of agents and their strengths, weakness, and family members. You know most of this information, and I'd be willing to keep you and these traitors alive if you agreed to work for us."

He tried to refuse as he took aim to kill the man, but it ended in a scream when the other turned suddenly and shot him twice in the torso, bullets tearing through his lung and abdomen respectively. Brought to his knees, he gasped around the blood welling up his throat from the wounds and stared up at the green-eyed man as he walked toward the downed spy. Vexen was a sadist, and that was the only reason Hayner knew he was going to win this fight, as injured as he was. The cold barrel of a gun was pressed against his forehead and he smirked to himself, sensing how the rest of this would go.

"You wouldn't…kill the only useful hostage you have," he panted haltingly with well-imitated desperation, lungs filling with blood.

"Yes, I would, and I think I'll make you suffer a bit first, since you won't get to watch your lover die."

When the man pistol-whipped him across the temple, he made his move, putting a bullet between the twisted man's eyes in one fluid gesture. The shocked expression on his face would stay like that, Hayner supposed, struggling to his feet and staggering over to the terminal. It was certainly lucky that Demyx had told him Vexen's password before this mission even started. Vision turning red at the edges, he had just enough time to enter the commands to turn the ventilation back on and unlock the door before he collapsed, blood pooling on the floor under him. Coughing wetly and feeling the icy fingers of inevitability grip him, he gave up.

* * *

><p>"I've retrieved their launch codes and I'm going to disable the missiles and blow this place sky high," Demyx explained in his earpiece, Seifer largely ignoring the man.<p>

Instead, he was focused on the exit and the helo that was waiting for them, hoping that Hayner's shallow breathing would hold out at least halfway to the hospital almost an hour away. His survival was a longshot, and the logic with which the older man viewed the situation disturbed even him. His boyfriend had rescued all of them despite having no assistance and being put in a situation with hostages, and he was going to end up dead because of it. The man with ice-colored eyes couldn't decide whether he was proud that his partner was a textbook hero, or horribly upset about it. Either way, he didn't have much time to muse on it because they were in the helicopter and things were exploding and the man he'd been in love with for a decade was going into cardiac arrest thirty minutes from any real medical help.

* * *

><p>Coming out of a coma was the sort of thing you didn't get used to, Hayner decided as he did so for the third time in his life. Seifer was there, asleep with his head pillowed on his arms on the bed, the rest of him in the chair he'd pulled up to the bedside. Gingerly touching the stitches over his partially-healed injuries, he supposed he'd been sleeping for at least two weeks. Shaking his lover's shoulder enough to wake him, he waited for his counterpart to gather himself for a few seconds.<p>

"I'm glad you're safe, Seif," he said, voice slightly hoarse from lack of use.

"Likewise, you died for a while there. Doctors didn't think you'd make it even after the first night. Thank you, we all would have died and failed the operation if it wasn't for you."

"No problem sweetheart, it's my job. When do we ship out next?" He asked finally, the question on his mind since he was conscious enough to think about it.

"Not for two months at least, you seriously need to recover, chickadee. This isn't a situation you can just shrug off like you always do. They're giving us a mandatory break."

"Were there any death threats from your end involved in this?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Exactly what I'd expect out of you. Try not to overuse that privilege, eventually they'll just shoot you instead of living in constant fear of cold-blooded murder."

Seifer just smirked at him instead of replying, standing up and leaning over to kiss him. Deepening the contact, he groaned, realizing there was no way in hell his lover would have sex with him while he was still on a morphine drip for pain. He decided to try to get shot less next time and avoid the whole situation altogether.

"I love you, Seifer."

"Love you too, Hay," the scarred blond replied, smiling warmly, more relaxed than the younger had seen him in a long time.


	56. Sketch

These lazy drabbles usually mean I'm working on longer ficlets/fics and don't have time to finish them in a day, just by the way.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: PG

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><p>056. Sketch<p>

Seifer knew everything his little sister sketched eventually came true, it was just another thing that was, it didn't have to make sense. Namine drew Axel and Roxas returning together and it had happened, despite the impossibility of it. She drew Sora and Riku kissing and they started dating shortly after. She could draw the future, whether she liked the outcome or not. He knew she hid things from him as well, the dark drawings, and anything pertaining directly to him were locked in a box in her room.

Most recently he'd caught her drawing something and she immediately pressed the sketchbook to her chest, blushing and running away from him. Used to her, he didn't press any further until he noticed her turning red every time they happened to walk by Hayner in the halls at school or he wandered through the Sandlot when the siblings were together. Suspicious, he finally decided to ask her about it.

"Did something you draw have to do with Hayner, Nam?"

"I'm not telling Seif, you know better."

"So either he dies or it has something to do with me," he replied, something cold and dark welling in his chest.

"Nothing bad happens to him, don't worry."

"So then it has something to do with me. If it's going to happen anyway, would it change if I knew about it?"

"No, but you know the rules, don't be a bully," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and attempting to look intimidating to the teen at least a foot taller than her.

Shaking his head, he left her alone and opted to just wait it out. It wasn't until weeks later, when Hayner had kissed him before their fight escalated and things quickly became less about punching and more about making out, that she let him see the picture. The two of them were holding hands on Sunset Hill, and he smiled.

"Guess it was meant to be, huh Nam?"

She rolled her eyes and smiled.


	57. Guard

Ffft. I took way too much time with this one and it's way, way too long. Over a thousand words longer than Faery, almost 7.8k. It stalked me and held me hostage and I had no Seifer to rescue me so I had to give it what it wanted. My story and I'm sticking to it. Also some mild smut to make you happy.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: M, psychotic violence and smut.

* * *

><p>057. Guard<p>

Seifer didn't particularly like his job as a bodyguard most of the time. It wasn't that the work was hard or that he wasn't good at it, it was the kind of pricks he had to deal with. In this instance though, his job intrigued him. A rich woman approached him clandestinely at his home, not needing protection herself, but because her son had fled the city the latter lived in because he was being threatened by what sounded like a very effective stalker. It was up to the scarred bodyguard to find the guy, bring him home, and dispose of whoever was trying to frighten him into the open to kidnap and brutally murder him. When he finally tracked this Hayner down, he found him running with a gang of apparent vigilantes twenty miles away from his home, large brown eyes watching him from under the hood of his sweatshirt. Apparently he'd learned the trick to finding people he could trust not to turn on him was to start at the very bottom of the pyramid. After a few more run-ins, he finally stepped away from the group and confronted the taller man.

"What do you want? You're obviously here for me because you recognize me and no one here should," the younger man asked, hands jammed in his pockets and fear in his voice.

"I'm here to take you home and get rid of the guy trying to get to you. My name's Seifer Almasy, your mom hired me."

"Prove it," he pressed defensively, brows drawn down hard.

"Your mom said you'd recognize this," he explained as he reached in his coat pocket slowly enough not to scare the other and produced a small box.

Inside it was a simple platinum wedding band, most likely for a man judging by the sizing and lack of diamonds or excessive decoration, and by the expression on the other's face it was unique enough that he knew it wasn't something an average person could come by easily. He took it and put it in his jeans pocket, nodding to the blue-eyed man before turning back and striding over to his temporary companions. Explaining something quickly to them, he got a hug from the female of the group and a handshake from the others, frowning and walking away from them with a sense of reluctant finality.

"Lead on, Seifer. I'd imagine you need information on the stalker, right?"

"Yeah, you can explain on the train home," he replied curtly, gesturing for the other to follow him.

"Why are we taking a train?"

"Taxis and trains are a lot harder to track than a license plate on a car. I don't need anyone knowing I found you or which is my vehicle. I like surviving my jobs."

The smaller blond fell silent and stayed that way on the walk to the train station. It seemed like he wanted to say something once they were in a train car alone, but he didn't. Instead he just drew his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead on them, arms wrapped around his legs. Seifer wasn't sure if he was intentionally making himself look small and vulnerable, or if he really felt that way. Under his cold professional exterior, he felt bad for the younger man, he wasn't even drinking age and had already had half a dozen people out to kidnap him because of his mother's wealth, according to the woman herself. It had to be hard trying to make something out of your life while living in constant fear of being taken or killed.

"You alright, Hayner?"

"Fine, just leave me alone, okay? I'm not high-maintenance; you don't have to pretend to be my friend."

"Since we're going to be around each other twenty-four seven for the foreseeable future we might as well attempt to get along."

"So this is that kind of job. You're here to be my bodyguard until you can track down the person threatening me?" He asked, lifting his head to look at the man with ice-colored eyes.

"You have experience with this sort of thing, don't you?"

"Yeah, a lot."

"Sorry to hear that. Why did you run away this time?"

"I needed a break, not a bodyguard. Just wanted to be someone else for a while, actually make some friends I wasn't worried about getting killed, even if I only got to spend a week with them."

"Can I ask why you've encountered so many threats on your life? Your mom may be rich, but there are plenty other targets out there that they could get much more easily. Why you?"

"Long story short, my mom divorced my father after he started being abusive toward me, and a few years later she was the CEO of one of the biggest companies in the country. From there she took ownership of it, and as far as Greg is concerned it's my fault he's not a multimillionaire right now. So he's trying to get me killed or taken hostage so he can get back at me. As far as this stalker, I don't know. His messages are too…personal. I know what the trail of a professional looks like and this isn't it. His threats aren't so much he's going to kidnap me and hold me hostage for money as he's going to kidnap me and cut me up into small pieces very slowly while I'm still conscious. At least it's something new."

"Your sense of humor is disturbing. Any reason you'd have an enemy so fucked in the head they wanted to do that?"

"You know those stories about psychotic exes you hear every once in a while, about some guy murdering his ex-girlfriend or something?"

"Yeah? You think the stalker could be an ex of yours?"

"Hard to tell with just the threats I've been given so far, but they're the only normal person I've pissed off enough to want to torture me to death."

"So you may or may not have an insane ex-boyfriend that wants to murder you in a horrible way at any cost?" Seifer asked, growing more worried the more the other spoke.

"You just assume I'm gay?"

"You're not?" The bodyguard replied, surprised.

"I am, I just don't understand why you'd assume so."

"It's my job to be good at reading body language, I wasn't really assuming. Does your ex have any combat training?"

"Not that I'm aware of, I broke up with him six months ago so I suppose he could have gotten some, but he's not military by any means. Last I knew I'm a better fighter than he is."

"So you know how to fight?"

"Not well enough to stand a chance against an ex-marine like you, but I've held my own in a few street fights. I tend to walk into trouble a lot," he added with a wry smile.

"And you're not the kind to walk away, I take it. How did you know I was a marine?"

"Lucky guess. You're wearing tags under your hoodie, I can tell by the chain, and you carry yourself like someone who's been through pretty much everything. Were you discharged because of an injury, or?"

"Three shots to the chest, one of my squad had to physically drag me to cover, almost got killed himself. If it wasn't for there being a hospital just twenty minutes away I wouldn't be here. I was in a coma for a while, by the time I woke up they'd already completed my discharge paperwork. I could have reenlisted after spending half a year recovering, but I chose to pursue a different way of protecting people."

"Thanks for your service, I mean it."

Seifer paused to stare at the younger blond for a moment, stunned. It was probably the last thing he expected out of the other, or really anyone.

"What's wrong, Seifer?"

"You're the first person to say that to me in the two years I've been home."

"Wow, I am so sorry. That's really…disturbing."

"World we live in, I guess. Fathers try to kill sons and soldiers fallen or otherwise go unsung."

The brown-eyed man frowned and rested his chin on his knees, eyelashes low as he stared at some invisible point of interest on the floor. He seemed fairly lonely and sad for a male his age; Seifer wouldn't be surprised if he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression considering the kind of childhood he had. Considering the lengths his ex, if it was the jilted lover threatening him, was going to, he had to wonder how long the other had been in that relationship. It didn't really seem appropriate to ask right now, since it was hardly integral to his performance that he knew everything about Hayner's life. At least not right now.

* * *

><p>"So, if you don't mind me asking, how did you get that scar?" He asked the blue-eyed man, the two of them on the couch together on the tenth day of their shared quarters at in his fairly large apartment.<p>

"Got in a fist fight with a guy who had a knife, I won. I was in a gang in high school, got myself into tons of shit like that. This just happens to be the most visible scar."

"Your parents didn't care?" He replied, knowing it was the wrong thing to say as soon as his companion's face darkened and he looked away.

"My parents were both killed in the war when I was five."

"I am such an asshole," he lamented, running his hands through his hair in frustration.

"You didn't know, no harm in asking. Really, it was almost twenty years ago, I'm not upset about it being brought up."

"I'm sorry anyway."

"You're so cute," the scarred blond commented, ruffling his hair patronizingly and smirking.

Growling, he tackled the bodyguard off the couch and onto the floor, starting a heated wrestling match that he lost in under two minutes, likely only taking that long because Seifer was toying with him. His wrists were held down above his head by one of the ex-marine's hands, the other's lower body flush with his. Seifer was holding himself up with one arm and looking somewhat amused. Blushing and biting his lip, he found himself once again noticing how attractive his protector was. It wasn't an appropriate thing to be thinking about, their relationship was friendly but it remained professional. The other had to have figured out something was up by now, he was incredibly observant and they were around each other all the time.

"So are we going to talk about this, or just let it go on without acknowledging it? It's up to you, Hayner."

"Call me Hay," he said by way of answer, knowing his counterpart would get it.

"Talking it is."

The muscular man stood and offered him a hand up, both of them sitting back down on the couch, shoulders brushing. He had to imagine it wasn't easy for the bodyguard to have a charge that just happened to be ridiculously attracted to him. Made things complicated, though he probably didn't have much of an opinion on Hayner one way or the other.

"Infatuation is a condition that exists when one human finds someone compatible on a sexual level, causing a rush of chemicals involved in feelings of love and lust. Love, by contrast, is what happens when two people are compatible both sexually and emotionally, and is involved in long-term relationships," Seifer explained, pale eyes flicking over to him as if to see if he was following.

"Yeah, I know what's going on, and I know there's a good chance this won't turn into anything meaningful, what's your point?"

"Just making sure we're on the same page and you're not expecting a fairytale romance."

Confused, Hayner was shocked when the bodyguard turned and shoved him onto the couch, mouths pressed together and a tongue swiping at his bottom lip. Opening his mouth with a moan, he threaded his fingers through the other's short blond hair and questioned when the hell the twenty-four year-old had actually started giving a damn about him beyond the job, and why he had never mentioned he wasn't straight. Undoing the buttons on Seifer's simple black dress shirt, he pressed his hands against the smooth curves of the ex-soldier's six-pack. Traveling up, he found the scars from the man's military career, the skin ugly and rumpled in circles, but he didn't really find it unattractive. He understood scars, he had them too, and they weren't pretty but they made people who they were. It was odd, but he even found himself a little turned on by the scar between Seifer's eyes, the deep slash making his appearance even more savagely beautiful. He was dangerous and violent, the brown-eyed man knew that much just from the edge in his eyes if not the man's past, but he couldn't bring himself to be afraid. He fully expected questions when the taller man pulled his shirt off, and indeed the questing hands tracing the scars on his torso were as good as a query.

"So are these from your kidnappers, or your ex?"

"Both. It's not my fault I've had the luck to become surrounded by people who turn against me in violent ways."

"Wouldn't hurt you, Hay, ever."

"No need to treat me like glass either, Seif, I'm tougher than I look."

"Yeah, I know," the older man muttered against his neck before biting and sucking a mark into his neck.

Groaning, he almost didn't notice his bodyguard undoing his pants and tugging them off his hips. He was already hard, because who the hell wouldn't be, and it was all he could do not to make a desperate noise when Seifer rubbed him through his boxers. The larger man pulled away from his neck and smirked at him before kissing and licking his way down the sandy-blond's torso, and he noticed the way the other made sure to kiss every scar, shivering. He got the feeling his protector understood scars too. All coherency fled his mind when the attractive fighter took his cock in his mouth, icy eyes flicking up to watch him. Squeezing his eyes shut and throwing his head back, Hayner was pretty sure he wasn't going to forget that image. Panting, he could tell this wasn't a new thing for the other, and he was _good_ at it. It was easy to let go of the idea that they shouldn't be doing this, especially when Seifer's tongue swirled around the head of his dick.

"Damn you're good at this. _Fuck_."

The scarred blond just hummed smugly before sucking all of him down, drawing a choked scream from him. Considering how long it had been since his last sexual encounter with anyone, it didn't take much more of that for him to come hard enough that his vision whited out for a few seconds. Seifer swallowed, of course, and leaned up to kiss him, the taste of himself on the larger man's tongue erotic. Reaching down, he unbuttoned the black jeans and returned the favor, the ex-marine hot and heavy in his hand as he jerked him off. He wiped the other's come off his chest with his discarded shirt, impressed that Seifer had managed to remain propped up by his arms while climaxing.

"So now you're going to tell me you have a rule against having sex with your clients and this is never happening again, right?" He huffed, knowing something was going to go terribly wrong because everything in his life did.

"I never had a reason to make that rule because none of my clients have been hot before. Far as I'm concerned the ball's in your court, you decide whether this continues."

"If we get involved, there's a good chance Tyler will attempt to kill you too."

"I'm your bodyguard, it's my job to be in the line of fire; I don't see that making a difference. I'd be more worried that he'd get angry enough to actually make good on his threats."

"You don't know him well enough to realize this, but unlike most stalkers he is absolutely planning on killing me and fully capable of doing it. He already attempted it when I left him, that's where the scar near my heart originated. Slid a knife between my ribs, but he got a plea of temporary insanity and spent three months in a mental hospital instead of fifteen years in prison. Apparently the meds they have him on don't fix irrational homicidal rage."

"I'll kill him first, don't worry."

"How are you planning on getting away with that, by the way? Does your occupation afford you unique exemptions from the law…You know what, I don't care. You just sucked me off and came on my chest, we're not talking shop now. I'm going to shower, you're welcome to join me," he replied, slipping out from under the other and heading toward the bathroom.

"Sounds like a plan, chickadee."

"Are we already to pet names? I thought that came after sex in post-teenage relationships," he remarked snidely, actually quite comforted by the tiny show of affection.

"Less bitching, more fucking in the shower," the man with pale eyes replied, shoving him playfully.

* * *

><p>Two days after the beginning of their strange relationship they headed to the closest supermarket to get groceries, what he considered a hilariously domestic activity for two people so far from it. Seifer didn't seem to mind, going so far as to completely scandalize two parents that made a nasty remark about them by French kissing him out of the blue. He'd be hard pressed to decide which he liked better, the horrified looks on their faces or kissing the muscular blond. He really had to remember to thank his mother for finding a bodyguard that was good at what he did, bisexual, and hot as hell. How Seifer had apparently managed to stay single since he'd returned from the war was a mystery to Hayner. Not that he was complaining.<p>

There was mail for him, which was never a good thing, but regardless he went to get it while his bodyguard was in the shower so he wouldn't know right away. He never got mail, his bills were paid by his mother and his complex was the kind where a three bedroom apartment cost at least a million dollars to buy, they didn't get ads. Thanking the man at the desk that ran the building, he took the simple envelope and headed back up, luckily before his protector came out of the shower. Locking himself in his room, he opened it, pulling out a folded picture and a message. The picture was of him and Seifer lying in bed, cuddling post-fuck because the ex-marine actually had a soft side. There were cuts on several parts of the larger man's body, mostly at the joints of major limbs. The letter was a cliché, spelled out with letters cut out of magazines, he was fairly certain out of stories about his mother's company, plus a signature at the bottom belonging to none other than his ex:

_I'll make you watch_

Shivering, he took in the angle of the shot again, realizing with a start that it was taken from a window in the building across from them. Setting it down, he stood up and walked over to the huge glass panes spanning almost the entire length of his bedroom. They were relatively bulletproof, he had the glass changed out when he moved in, but at such close range a high-powered rifle could penetrate them in one or two shots depending on the caliber. Pressing his hand against the cool material, he looked out at the open windows and wondered which one Tyler had been watching him through. There was movement in one, the sun glinting off the barrel of a gun just in time for him to jump out of the way as one of the five-foot long panes of glass was struck once, then again, shattering. Pushing himself to his feet covered in shards of glass, he ran out his door and straight into Seifer, who wrapped his arms around him and dragged him down the hallway. A second bullet embedded itself in the wall across from the open door as they made their way to the living room, which had no windows on that side of the building.

The taller blond pushed him onto the couch and got on the phone with 911, informing them what apartment number they were in and that no one had been hurt, yet. Now seemed like the perfect time to curl into a ball and pretend the world outside his hoodie didn't exist, so he did just that. He might have been crying but he couldn't really tell anymore, too numb to feel it or care; sometimes he just needed to be a frightened little kid and if the world had a problem with that they could fuck themselves. After a few minutes he was aware there were other people, either hotel staff or cops, and he could hear Seifer threatening them to leave Hayner the hell alone. He appreciated that; he didn't think he could handle talking to anyone right now, he'd just break down and end up crying like a bitch if he wasn't already.

"Hay, we have to go, I'm going to carry you, alright?" Seifer explained, to which he was pretty sure he made some sort of noise, because the man followed through.

He still didn't feel safe in his bodyguard's arms, curled tightly against his chest, and he was sure he was crying now because he could feel himself shaking. It made him wonder why he hadn't just confronted his ex-boyfriend in the first place and let himself be killed, or hell, shot _himself_ in the head. It would have kept anyone else from getting involved, and he wouldn't have to live in fear anymore. Everyone had their breaking point, and this just pushed him past his.

"Breathe, chickadee, I'm going to kill him, okay?"

He sniffled and felt all the more pathetic for it, "And what about the next person that tries to kill me?"

"I guess I'll just have to stay by your side to protect you forever, then. Just try to relax, we'll talk later."

"Where are we going?" The brown-eyed man queried as they got in the back of a police car.

"First we're taking you to the hospital, from there I'd imagine we need to find somewhere else to stay for a while, or at the very least get better security."

"I'm not hurt."

"You're bleeding from the spray of glass, actually, and you're having a nervous breakdown, and I can't really blame you. I think it might be better if, just for a while, you actually took some medication for your three or four undiagnosed anxiety disorders. I might be awesome, but even I can't give you peace of mind; I can't fight brain chemistry, obviously," he tacked the last word on the end while threading his hand through Hayner's hair.

Before long he was being carried out of the car and into the ER, which he thought was overkill. It wasn't like he was in a position to protest, so he just dealt with it. They were waved through the station where patients were accepted when the staff saw the two cops behind them and ended up in a room in the triage ward. Seifer set him down in a chair and spoke briefly with a nurse, requesting a doctor by first name. The cops lurked just outside, one of them making a disparaging remark toward Hayner.

"The fuck did you say?" Seifer spat, grabbing the cop by the collar and getting in his face.

"I could take you in right now for assaulting a cop," he replied, fear gripping his voice.

"Both of you, get out. This is our jurisdiction now," a new, male voice from beyond his line of sight ordered.

His bodyguard stood straighter while addressing the man outside the door and he wanted no part of anyone that commanded that kind of respect. Instead, he curled further into his hoodie as if that would successfully hide him from the world. Blood was flowing down the side of his face from two cuts on his temple and cheek respectively, and the warm stickiness of it made him uncomfortable. Now that he was calmer, he could feel shards of glass biting into the hand he'd used to push himself to his feet and he didn't doubt it was bleeding badly too.

"I really don't think it's a good time to talk to him, not until he's gotten medical assistance."

"It's quite important that we discuss the matter of his attacker as soon as possible, you should know it's a matter of national security, that's why we're here," a woman replied, attempting to walk into the room, only to be blocked by Seifer's body.

"If you bother him right now you'll be putting his health in danger, and keeping him alive and well is my job, Elena, so kindly fuck off until the doctor's declared him fit to be interrogated by the goddamn FBI."

"You can't-"

"Elena, that's enough. Seifer has a point; it's unlikely that we will get any sort of coherent response from Hayner in the state he's in. Our questioning can wait until he's at least not bleeding on the floor and having a complete mental breakdown. We'll be standing guard outside, Seifer."

"You do that, Tseng," the blue-eyed man returned tersely, turning away and partially shutting the door.

"Hey, look at me, Hayner. You still with me, chickadee?"

Seifer was kneeling in front of him, attempting to get him to uncurl enough that they could make eye contact. Sighing, he unfolded and looked at his concerned bodyguard, feeling more helpless than he had in a long time. He wasn't safe, and no one around him was either, so long as Tyler still existed outside of a maximum security prison. It had been apparent to him all along and he'd still allowed himself to get close to the ex-marine charged with protecting him. If anything happened to the man he had a terrible crush on it would be entirely his fault, and he didn't think he could live with that.

"I'm sorry, Seif."

"Gods, don't say that shit. Please don't be sorry, this isn't your fault and it never will be. I'm sorry, I wasn't able to protect you."

"Nothing you could have done," he replied, glancing down at the small puddle of blood from his hand, "You must think I'm pathetic."

"Not at all, Hay. You've given me no reason to think that, if anything I'm impressed you've managed to hold up this long. Most people in the same situation buckle much sooner."

"Am I interrupting, Seif?" A woman around the scarred blond's age asked as she walked in wearing a white lab coat, long blond hair tied back in a high ponytail.

"You're a doctor and your patient is bleeding, I really don't think you _can_ be interrupting, Nam," the man with ice-colored eyes returned, standing and giving her a hug.

It was an odd show of affection from the larger man and Hayner had to wonder if this wasn't some secret girlfriend of his. The whole issue of relationships never really came up because whatever was between them wasn't supposed to matter enough for them to discuss things like feelings. The blonde doctor seemed to notice his unease and smiled, shoving the muscular man away.

"Hi, my name is Namine. I'm this idiot's adoptive older sister. Mind if I take a look at your injuries, Hayner?"

"How'd you know my name?" He replied dumbly.

"Seifer's been talking about you constantly since he started protecting you, it's so cute. It looks like you're going to need stitches for the cut on your cheek, it's too deep to heal on its own. We'll need to pull out the shards of glass from your hand and wrap up your palm as well, but you shouldn't need stitches there, at least. I need to speak with Seifer privately for a moment while the nurses patch you up, is that alright? He'll be just down the hall," she asked, genuinely gentle and bright.

"Yeah, that's fine," he answered, forcing a smile that he knew didn't convince Seifer.

They left, two nurses coming in to clean and mend his wounds, and he shut off and let them do their jobs.

* * *

><p>"Gods Seifer, what happened to him? I know he was being stalked, but this is…"<p>

"Someone shot through his bedroom window at him, he was cut by the falling glass before he could escape."

"That's not what I mean and you damn well know it, little brother. It's been at least twenty minutes since then and he's still shaking and in one of the worst cases of shock I've seen without a near-fatal injury. It's a miracle he can keep it together enough to speak."

"I told you he's suffering from several untreated anxiety disorders and I think this, realizing even with me around he isn't remotely safe from the man who's trying to brutally murder him, pushed him past his mental breaking point. He didn't even know he was hurt until I told him he was bleeding. He needs more than a few stitches to pull himself together."

"I can't believe people would have hurt someone so kind badly enough that this happened, it's sickening. If I prescribe him an anxiety medication, can you be sure he takes it? If things are this bad now, they're only going to get worse. You already told me you think he suffers from depression, and I would tend to agree based on the things you've described. If his mood and stress level isn't evened out somehow he's going to kill himself."

"Don't even say that, Nam. I'll make sure he gets what he needs, promise. Even if I have to shove it down his throat. I can't lose him."

"Oh Seif, you would fall for someone that's hard to handle and in mortal danger, you masochist. I'll write out a script and get a sedative, you go keep an eye on him."

Not needing to be told twice he headed right back to the room, finding Hayner staring blankly at the floor while a woman sewed his cheek together, blood still seeping out of the wound. He didn't even seem to be aware of the other nurse picking glass out of his hand with tweezers, barely reacting to either process, and they had to be painful. His dark eyes flicked up to meet his bodyguard's when he walked over to sit next to him, lacing his fingers with those on the smaller man's good hand. Namine had a point; he couldn't call it love, but he definitely felt something much more than just sexual attraction to his charge. He never cuddled with anyone, and he hadn't had sex with the same person more than once since before he graduated from high school. Yet here he was with the insatiable need to hold the younger male and make love to him as often as possible. Stupid.

"I'm going to give you a mild sedative so you can calm down a bit, but it might put you to sleep, okay Hayner?" Namine asked when she came back in, equipped with a hypodermic needle.

He made a noncommittal noise which they had to accept as acquiescence since it didn't seem like he was going to volunteer any more information on his opinion any time soon. She slid the needle into his hip as gently as she could, and before long he was nodding off. By the time the nurses had finished dressing his wounds he was asleep, probably the only decent rest he was going to get for a while.

"He'll probably be out for several hours, maybe even all day. I'd like to keep him in the hospital for observation because of his mental state, I don't think we can trust him enough to let him out. We'd put him in one of our most secure rooms, of course. Is that alright, Seif? This is your job, if you don't think it's safe you can say no."

"I'm going to need at least one armed guard blocking the door, and I'll have to be there at all times, no exceptions. The only staff I can allow near him is you. It'll be a hell of a burden to keep him here," he answered honestly.

"I can live with that, if it keeps him alive. You might be a badass, but you can't fight his brain chemistry, or prevent him from killing himself if he loses to it. It would be best if we started him a high dose of medication I can only safely administer here, to start combating his acute symptoms."

"Can you start getting it set up? I think I have two pissy FBI officers out there that want to know when they can grill Hayner for information regarding his ex."

"Never, as far as I'm concerned. Extra stress is the last thing he needs right now. But I guess you can tell them a few days, we'll hopefully have him stable by then."

He nodded, and it was a little odd having a conversation with Tseng and Elena while carrying Hayner on his back, but he'd be damned if he was letting the lithe blond out of his sight. There was too much at stake for him to risk it. They left the two blonds alone with a promise to return soon and not accept no for an answer. Namine came up to him shortly after and led him to a room with a guard and no windows. There was only one bed, but he didn't really care, he didn't plan to sleep deeply any time soon and if Hayner needed someone to hold him they could easily fit in the same bed. Undressing his lover, he left the man in his shirt and boxers, knowing that was the way he usually slept if they didn't have sex right before. Checking the two .45 caliber handguns he kept tucked into his waistband at his back, he hoped they could have at least a few days of peace. Somehow he knew they wouldn't.

* * *

><p>He woke up to commotion outside the door, having fallen asleep briefly leaning against the foot of his charge's bed. There were shots fired and he pulled out his guns just in time for the door to be kicked open. Seifer shot one intruder in the chest before getting hit in the leg, someone jamming a needle into his neck while he was down. The world faded quickly.<p>

* * *

><p>Hayner never thought he'd go to sleep in a hospital and wake up in a warehouse strapped to a table. At least he had pants on, small miracles. Looking around, he found Tyler leaning over another table a few feet away from him, Seifer on that one. He was exponentially more worried about his bodyguard than himself, he had gotten himself into this mess, his lover had no part of it and didn't deserve to die in whatever horrible way Hayner's black-haired ex could come up with.<p>

"Oh, you're awake, good. I was getting tired of waiting, your fucktoy isn't very good company," Tyler commented, turning to him and running a hand through his hair in a mockery of comfort.

"Not surprised, you're not the best conversation starter yourself, _sweetheart_," he added the pet name venomously, voice dripping with hatred.

"Look at you, trying to act tough because you know there's no way out. As much as I'd love to make you scream, I promised I'd kill your boyfriend first."

"Suppose you can't go back on a promise, just like when you swore you'd never hurt me."

"Just like you promised you'd never leave me, darling."

"Was that before or after the first time you threw me through a wall?"

"Like you didn't deserve it, you were the one who started those fights."

"Those fights were over the way you were treating me, and who the hell deserves to get sent to the ER for broken ribs?"

"Fucking hell just kill me now and save me having to listen to you two bitch, gods," Seifer interjected, irritated.

"If you insist," Tyler replied and drove a knife into the handsome blond's left shoulder.

The ex-marine just grunted and Hayner turned away. The two blonds had already come to an agreement about what they would do in the event they were kidnapped and tortured, deciding it would be best if they just ignored one another. The black-haired man obviously enjoyed making people suffer, especially making them suffer by hurting others, so not giving him the satisfaction would make him angry and sloppy. It might get them killed sooner, but there wasn't any guarantee of rescue so it wasn't much of an issue. He really didn't want to know what was happening to his companion, if he did he'd break down and start begging, and that was exactly what his ex wanted.

"Is that better, Seifer?"

"It's a start, Tyler," the scarred man replied, and Hayner could hear the fake smile and pain in his voice.

"So, Ty, who did you hire to help you kill me?" The dark-eyed male asked conversationally, noticing the three other people in the room.

"Just some mercs, figured if you were calling in hired help, I might as well do the same. I just didn't sleep with them like you decided to."

"Huh, shame, you're really missing out."

"Not as much of a whore as you are, Hayner."

"Because you can't get anyone to sleep with you," the eldest blond returned snidely.

It was funny, downright hilarious, that they were teaming up to make fun of the guy who had kidnapped and was currently trying to kill them. It didn't make a damn bit of sense for them to be making him angrier, but it briefly took his mind off the inevitability of the situation. No matter what, someone was going to die, whether it be him, Seifer, or Tyler. The first and last he wasn't terrible bothered by, but his bodyguard was doing a fantastic job and would likely be the first to get killed. And none of this would be happening if Hayner hadn't become completely infatuated with the man and willingly turned him into a target. Poor life choices.

"I have to wonder how you ever get laid, Seifer, with your shitty personality and scars, but I guess that's what Hayner likes in men."

"Maybe if you'd just cut yourself more I would have stayed with you, Ty."

That comment was enough to get a blade pressed against his throat, but unfortunately the other didn't feel like killing him yet. Instead, he smiled darkly and plunged the knife into the scarred footprint of his last encounter with Hayner. Choking on blood and struggling to breathe, he didn't have the lung capacity to scream. Sobbing, he felt viscera welling in his throat, turning his head away from his captor in order to continue breathing as best he could, red fluid dripping out of his mouth.

"See, now you might not to get to stick around to watch Seifer die. Maybe it'll be him that has to suffer through that, if he cares."

"Of course I care, you stupid fuck."

The double doors on one side of the warehouse were suddenly opened, several guns firing. Forcing his eyes open, he saw the mercenaries his ex-boyfriend had hired falling and a group of four people in suits he assumed were FBI running in. Tyler ducked their fire and almost made it out of the building before the redheaded man shot him down with a hit to the leg. The same man went over to him and cuffed him, dragging him bodily towards his comrades. The blonde woman, Elena, he supposed, was busy untying him and he was distracted by the furious fluttering of her fingers over the ropes and belts. Seifer was being helped to his feet by a larger man with sunglasses, blood soaking his pant leg and the shoulder and side of his shirt, and he felt horribly guilty somewhere beyond the pain and dizziness. He was going to need to be resuscitated, he knew that, he just didn't know if he'd actually live after that or not. Or whether his bodyguard would be there when he woke up. Closing his eyes when Elena started pulling him off the table, he lost consciousness like being swept away by a flood.

* * *

><p>"Hayner's out of surgery, and it looks like he'll survive," Namine told him as soon as he woke up from being put under in the ER so they could treat his wounds.<p>

"That's a relief, I thought…Nevermind, not dealing with that right now. Now what won't I be able to do for three to six months?"

"You're going to need physical therapy to regain the strength in your left arm, a lot of the tendons were severed and had to be repaired. I'd say you won't recover all of your strength but I made that mistake once and you just got stronger. You'll be on crutches for a few weeks until the entry wound in your leg has healed enough for you to put weight on it. It's Hayner I'm worried about, and I don't mean his physical injuries."

"Getting kidnapped and tortured does fuck a person up mentally, whether they have pre-existing traumas or not. That it's happened before doesn't mean it'll be any easier."

"I worry that this will be the incident that proves to him he can't live without getting hurt or getting others hurt. You were injured because you were protecting him, and he'll struggle to forgive himself for that. I don't know how I can in good conscience leave him alone. From what you've said, he doesn't really have anyone to remind him that he has reasons to live, and his paranoia and anxiety will drive him to suicide if the guilt and depression doesn't. I can't very well institutionalize him either; it just seems like a slap in the face after all he's been through."

"I'll stay with him, Nam. Even if he needs me to be there for him until the day he dies, which I'm planning on making sure isn't for several more decades."

"That's a big commitment, Seifer. You do understand this isn't something you can just drop when it's not convenient for you, right? What if your feelings fade in a month when the chemicals wear off?"

"I don't just want to have sex with him or be with him romantically, I want to protect him, and help him. Even if I don't really love him, or he falls for someone else, I still want to be there for him. As a friend, or a bodyguard, or whatever else he needs me to be. This isn't just some snap decision, I've been thinking about it a lot in the two weeks or so since I've known him. You know me, Namine, once I'm set on something no one can dissuade me."

"Yeah, and you're usually right about yourself. Like when you decided to join the Marines after a week of thinking about it…You were right, it was a good place for you. Even if it did almost kill you."

"I haven't felt this way about anything since then, either. It's up to Hayner, obviously, but…I don't want to leave. I don't know that I can."

"I support you, Seif, but only if I get to plan the wedding."

"You're awful, Nam. Yes, you can plan the unlikely to happen wedding, but only if you let me see Hayner as soon as possible."

"You've got a deal. Now try to get some sleep, it'll help your injuries heal faster."

He was tired to begin with, and he had a lot to sleep on, so he was happy to obey her for the moment.

* * *

><p>It was difficult to do much of anything the first time he woke up after dying in the ambulance and again on the operating table, wanting so badly to just go back to sleep. Possibly forever. But Seifer was sitting next to his bed, so he laced his fingers with the taller man's and squeezed weakly, unable to breathe well enough to speak. The blue-eyed bodyguard stood up and kissed him on the forehead, telling him to go back to sleep. Smiling, he closed his eyes and briefly wondered why his counterpart was still here before fading back away.<p>

* * *

><p>"So, you're not leaving?" He asked, making sure he'd understood Seifer correctly.<p>

"No, I'm staying with you until you kick me out."

"And if I never kick you out?"

"I'm sure even you can manage to puzzle that one out, chickadee," the other replied playfully, ruffling his hair.

"But I don't understand why. I mean, you won't be able to do your job if you're with me all the time, unless you plan on leaving for work."

"Nope, sticking around with you. My job is to keep you safe, right? I'd be failing if I just left you alone to deal with your demons. Besides, maybe I'll get lucky and you'll have another crazy ex to stab me."

"Nope, you're just going to be stuck with me and my boring, kidnapped or shot at every once in a while by mercenaries and assassins lifestyle. At least until Tseng and Elena manage to pin something on my father. It was nice of them to pick up his case in exchange for me luring Tyler. Had no idea he was a cop killer in his spare time since I left him."

"Good thing I like taking bullets for you then, you might survive your boring life. Hey, Hayner?" He questioned, suddenly serious.

"Yeah, what's up Seif?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, Seifer," he replied easily, pulling the older man down for a kiss and hoping he could leave the hospital soon; he really wanted some time alone with his boyfriend.


	58. Bruise

Preslashy, dark social commentary. This is what would happen if anyone cared enough to talk about/deal with issues like this. Mm.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: High T, discussion of abuse

* * *

><p>058. Bruise<p>

It all started with a bruise that he couldn't hide or explain away. Fuu and Rai saw it, and he knew they wanted to help him, but they didn't know how or if they'd hurt him more by trying. He'd been fighting more and more lately just to cover up the marks and cuts left by his stepmother, hoping if he took enough hits no one would notice something was wrong. But there had been a struggle tournament this weekend and he hadn't had the chance to start any fights with someone larger than himself, so when he showed up to school on Monday with a dark bruise on his cheek he knew it was going to fall into place for the few people who paid any attention to him.

What he didn't expect was to be pulled out of class in the middle of the day and taken to the principal's office. Along with the principal, Hayner was there, looking fairly skittish, as well as his mother and one of the school's counselors. Frowning, he really wanted to leave and ignore all of them, but he had to know why the brown-eyed boy and his mother were here. Sitting down in the chair left for him, he waited.

"It is Dr. Dincht's opinion that you are not currently safe in your home, Seifer, and Mr. Ferris has concurred based on the evidence she has provided us. It is our legal duty to report suspected child abuse to the authorities, and they have asked us to provide you with some other place to stay for now. To this end, Dr. Dincht has volunteered her home. You have the choice to refuse, but child protective services will have to relocate you pending an investigation."

It was pointless to argue, to claim he wasn't being abused, because he knew there were more than enough medical records to prove that he was, or hell, they could just take his shirt off if they wanted proof. He felt defeated, maybe weak, and he just wanted this conversation to be over. Seifer couldn't stand people knowing even general details about his life, much less knowing he was the victim of abuse and he hadn't done anything about it. As if there was something he could do. It wasn't something people talked about, not something to be discussed with anyone even if it was their job to deal with it.

"I'll stay with Dr. Dincht, since she offered," he replied simply, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

"You're excused from the rest of school today, and Hayner, you are too."

The three of them left together, the sandy-blond teen staying as far away from him as he could and looking away. In the car the other sat in the front seat while Seifer was in the back, and it was around then he guessed why Hayner was so frightened of him. It must have been him that brought the issue up to his mother, he expected Seifer to be furious with him, maybe beat the crap out of him for it. He really needed to talk with the younger man when they got to his home and had a minute alone. It was funny, the spiky-haired boy would be sixteen too in a month; their birthdays were only three months apart. Sighing, he got out of the car and walked into what he should probably start considering his temporary home behind the psychiatrist and her son.

"Hay, show Seifer to the guest room, would you? I need to make a few calls."

The lithe teen bristled and started up the stairs, leading him into a room at the end of the hall, just down from Hayner's own. He stopped and turned around as if signaling that he was going to leave, and he threw his hands up defensively when Seifer stepped toward him.

"Look, I'm sorry that this happened, but I had to do it. I couldn't just let this go on. If you want to be mad at me, go ahead, I understand. If you're going to punch me you should really do it somewhere my mom won't notice."

Shaking his head at the other, he crossed the distance and pulled his rival into a hug, burying his face in the crook of Hayner's neck. It meant a lot to him that someone had actually cared enough to do anything, he was sure Fuu and Rai had a part in it too.

"Thanks, Hay."


	59. Shoelaces

So short. Also, I absolutely adore the idea of Hay with rainbow shoelaces, and have used that more than just here, as some of you may know.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: PG

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><p>059. Shoelaces<p>

Hayner loved shoelaces, he considered them one of the most expressive parts of a person's clothing. They expressed exactly what the wearer wanted them to without the extraneous messages of the designs on shirts or pants, and they were more of a permanent reflection of what the person liked or wanted to represent. Most people didn't change their shoelaces on a daily basis like they did their other clothing. His friends understood his fascination and went along with it, they were all uniquely crazy so tolerance was a built-in quality of their friendship.

When he showed up one day with rainbow shoelaces woven into the eyelets of his favorite Chucks, they understood immediately what he meant by wearing them. Coming out to his best friends was as easy as that, and he really appreciated that about them. He didn't expect anyone else to understand, but as far as he was concerned they didn't really need to know. Being gay wasn't his only quality and he'd rather if people didn't focus on that. High school kids weren't remotely mature enough to look past labels, so he wasn't planning on outing himself to the student body soon, if ever.

Seifer came up to him in the middle of the day as he was putting his books away for lunch, glancing down at his shoes for a few seconds before smirking and closing the distance between them. Pinning him up against the lockers, the other leaned in close enough that Hayner could feel the bully's breath on his neck as the other whispered into his ear.

"Nice shoelaces, chickie."

The scarred male stepped away and turned, disappearing down the hall and leaving the brown-eyed teen wondering just what the hell that was all about.


	60. Lollipop

Lazy.

Theme provided by:stormbringer246

Rating: T

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><p>060. Lollipop<p>

Seifer knew he needed to get laid when he started to be uncomfortably turned on by Hayner's sudden fascination with suckers. The issue was he really wanted to have sex _with_ the college sophomore, and he wasn't even sure if the guy was interested in men to begin with. Just because he had an oral fixation doesn't mean he liked sucking cock, though it was pretty suspect. So, because he wasn't really interested in being subtle with his high school rival, he decided to confront him about it. Of course, his way of being straightforward would be considered completely inappropriate by most people, but he really didn't care. He at least gave the other man the chance to push him away before he pinned his peer to the wall of one of the campus buildings.

"Seifer, what are you-"

The rest of his question got cut off by the scarred blond's mouth, Seifer slipping his tongue into the brown-eyed sophomore's mouth. He managed to work the sucker out of the other's mouth and into his, pulling away and smirking around it.

"Either you have a really rabid sweet tooth, or you're coming onto me," the younger said when he caught up to the situation, blushing.

"The second one, you do terrible things with these," he replied, jerking a thumb at the candy in his mouth.

"And here I thought you'd never notice. Seriously though, me eating suckers turns you on? Candy-porn, huh."

"Your oral fixation extend to other things, chickie?"

"Dunno, you wanna find out, Seif?" He replied, grinning devilishly.

"Absolutely," he agreed, pulling the strawberry confection out of his mouth and leaning back in to kiss Hayner.


	61. Stuffed Animal

Counterpart to Bruise, ends on a more romantic note than that one, and is more than twice as long. What can I say, I adore Hayner, must just be the Seifer in me.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: T

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><p>061. Stuffed Animal<p>

"Hey, lamer, can I come over to work on our project tomorrow morning?" Seifer asked, half-heartedly snarky.

"My mom's kind of away this weekend, it's not a good time," he responded immediately, defensive.

"Why would your mom being away for her job like she is _every weekend_ make a difference? We have a week to do this, I'd rather get it done this weekend and avoid having to spend any more time with you than I normally would, chickenwuss."

"Can't we just go over to your place?"

A look of mild interest or concern crossed the blue-eyed male's face as he pressed, "Why are you so flighty about this?"

"You know what, fine, come over at one. Just don't be a douchebag, okay?"

He regretted it when he woke up the next day to the usual tirade from his father, knowing the man wasn't going to stop yelling at him for so much as being alive just because there was someone else in the house. Maybe his father could leave him alone for just a few hours so he could continue keeping the situation a secret. Hayner hated burdening other people with his problems, so he'd never discussed with anyone the way the man treated him when Ellen was away at seminars or whatever else she needed to do for her job on the weekend. Not even with his mom. Considering how nice the man played when she was around, Hayner wasn't even sure she'd believe him. Clutching the two-foot tall stuffed chocobo he'd had since he was five, he ignored the voice shouting through his door at him about…whatever he was furious about this morning. The stuffed animal was the only thing he could count on to comfort him on the weekends.

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><p>Seifer could tell something was wrong with Hayner almost as soon as he was let into the house. The teen's father was out when he arrived, but returned around two, and if the brown-eyed student seemed nervous before he was positively jumpy now. Before long the lithe blond's father called down for him, and he bristled like a wolf. He left wordlessly, shutting the door behind him, and after a few seconds the scarred teen could hear what sounded like a completely one-sided shouting match from downstairs. It wasn't his place to eavesdrop, but what he could hear of Hayner was anguished. Pushing the door open, he walked downstairs, more than furious to discover the man shouting at his son for being worthless. The younger blond had his fists clenched at his sides and his eyes were closed, a tear track down the side of his face that Seifer could see. This was beyond not okay; Hayner didn't cry over broken bones, whatever his dad had been saying to him was hurting him worse than that.<p>

"_Shut up_!" The normally stoic bully shouted over him, snarling and moving to stand between them.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Are you so stupid you can't understand a simple phrase? I said shut up, you _fuckhead._ Hay, get the stuff you need for the weekend, we'll finish our project at my place."

The spiky-haired skater walked up the stairs stiffly, and after a few minutes he followed, certain he'd gotten his point across to Hayner's father that he wasn't to be fucked with. Being six foot and a fighter was great for intimidating just about everyone, and the abusive dick that his rival had to live with was no exception. He found the other on his bed, his stuff already packed and his face buried in the stuffed animal he had.

"I'm sorry Seif, I never wanted…" He trailed off, breathing shakily.

"Anyone to know about you being abused? Yeah, I noticed. Come on, let's get out of here."

"I'm not being abused, it's not like he hits me, usually," the smaller boy returned, standing and setting the chocobo back down on his bed.

"Usually? _Ever_ is wrong, Hayner, and for another, verbal abuse is still abuse. Look, we'll discuss this later if you want to, but I think it's important that you tell your mom."

Hayner brushed past him, clearly uncomfortable, but he didn't seem genuinely angry or upset. Looking back at the golden chocobo plush, he picked it up and followed after his companion, handing it to him when he caught up. It was important to him, otherwise he wouldn't have been holding it when Seifer came in. Hayner's father just watched them go, seething, and the walk to his apartment was thankfully short.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you basically hated me and only tolerated me because you had to."

"Gods no, I never hated you and I never will. I'm being nice because someone needs to."

"So I'm just a charity case?" He spat, setting his things on the couch and turning toward the taller blond.

"That's not what I meant, dammit. Look, no one has the right to treat you like your dad does, not him, not me, not anyone. If you expect me to just turn a blind eye to that shit you don't know me at all. I'm letting you stay over because I would hate myself if I left you in that environment."

"Are you going to tell anyone about this?" He asked, sitting on the couch and hugging the stuffed animal to him.

"If you don't talk to your mom about it, I will. This isn't okay, you can't just let this continue."

"Don't want to bother her, she has enough to deal with. Wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Yeah, she would. Don't you think she'd like to know that her husband is an abusive asshole? She'd be crushed if she found out the hard way."

"Whatever, I don't want to talk about this anymore, can't we just work on our project?"

"Sure, Hay."

By the end of the night they had gotten all but a few details done, and Hayner suggested he just leave and go home to sleep. Seifer refused to let him go, instead carrying him into his bedroom and throwing him on the bed. Returning to the living room for the plush, a replica of a racing chocobo named Regulus he'd learned, he shoved it into his companion's chest and gave the other a smile.

"Go to sleep, chickie."

"Where are you sleeping, Seif?"

"Couch, don't argue with me about it either."

"Thanks, Seifer," he said with finality, brown eyes looking at him from just over the crest of the plush.

"Don't mention it, Hay. Sleep well," he answered before turning and shutting the door behind him.

It was odd to crash on his own couch, but he didn't mind much. If it kept his counterpart away from someone who made him cry for no better reason than his own satisfaction, it was worth it. He resolved never to call the other chickenwuss again either, it was just wrong now that he knew Hayner clung to a chocobo for comfort. Sighing, he rolled onto his side and tried to get some sleep.

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><p>Being shaken awake from a nightmare was definitely not a good way to start off his Sunday morning, or at least it wasn't until Seifer somehow read his mind and laid in the bed behind him and held him. It wasn't like the situation could get any more embarrassing, so it didn't really bother him that he was essentially cuddling with his rival. He'd also wanted to do it for over a year, so there was one thing to cross off his list of fantasies. The others that involved the seventeen year-old with ice colored eyes were a lot less wholesome. Breathing deeply, he pulled his mind away from that train of thought and back to getting some more sleep. The clock on the bedside table read just a few minutes after four, and he'd need the extra rest to deal with whatever else was going to happen today.<p>

At eight they got up together, and to his surprise the scarred bully didn't make any comments about him needing to be held. Instead Seifer made him breakfast, something that the other wanted to say eating at him the entire time. It was difficult to think of him as a pseudo-enemy any more, they were closer to friends now than they had been before their rivalry started.

"Something's bothering you, Seif, what's up?"

"I think you should have your mom come pick you up here, if she can. It would be a more neutral place to talk than your house. That is, unless you want me to talk to her about your dad."

"If this has to happen I'd rather it be me that did it, so I guess I can call her and ask her to come get me when she gets home this evening. What did you want me to do until then?"

"We could finish the project and just hang out, you know, like normal people?"

"We're not normal people, Seif. Normal people don't alternatively beat the shit out of each other and talk about their problems."

"Guess not. Speaking of problems, you wanna talk about how you never mentioned this to anyone?"

"Wasn't important."

"Why the hell not?"

"Because it just wasn't, okay? Why do you care so much about my life? It's not like it makes a difference to you one way or another."

"I care because I don't know if your depression is chronic or situational, but I do know that your dad abusing you isn't helping any. What, you think I didn't notice?" He added at the younger's shocked expression.

"You pay a lot more attention to me than I ever expected you to," he said finally, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, you're important to me, Hay."

He blushed at the oddly soft look from the other before speaking up, "I don't understand what you mean."

Seifer sighed and rolled his eyes, quirking a tiny smile before putting their dishes in the sink and walking into the living room. Following him curiously, he sat down on the couch next to him. He got the feeling that over the course of a weekend something had changed between them, drastically.

"While we're on the subject of feelings, are we going to talk about whatever this is?" He asked, gesturing between himself and the scarred senior.

"You mean our fighting that's been an obvious guise for something else for a while now?"

"Yeah, that. You're not completely straight, are you, Seif?" He ventured, wondering if this conversation was going to get him punched.

"Nope. And neither are you. Actually, are you interested in women at all?"

"Not really, no. I've also had a crush on you for a while, by the way," he finally said, guessing he had to bite the bullet some time.

"Likewise," the other said before pushing him down against the couch and melding their mouths together.

It wasn't what he was expecting but he wasn't about to complain, opening his mouth when the bully's tongue swiped across his bottom lip. Out of breath and panting by the time they pulled apart, he reached up and traced the other's scar, as he'd wanted to do pretty much since they'd met.

"I also might be a little in love with you, chickadee. Since we're being honest."

"Love you too, Seif," he replied simply, leaning up the short distance between them to kiss him again.


	62. Daydream

**Important**: As of ~170 prompts I will stop taking suggestions until I can catch up. At the moment I'm at 161. I'll keep you guys updated as to my prompt count next update as well, and edit the first chapter for those new to the story. Also, I will be on a more lax schedule for a while; I will try my best to update daily but I need to babysit my multichapter fics.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: PG

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><p>062. Daydream<p>

It wasn't often that Hayner got a moment to watch Seifer without the other noticing, but he took any opportunity offered him. Right now the older bully was boarding in the skate park, and he hadn't noticed Hayner leaning against the concrete wall in relative shade yet. It was scorching hot today and the other had taken his shirt off several minutes ago, sweat dripping down his back as he skated down the half-pipe. He'd be lying if he claimed he didn't want to trace the trail of salt with his tongue, but that was probably not an appropriate thought to be having while he was staring at his crush and rival in public.

"Hey, lamer, what are you staring at?"

"Nothing, Seifer, fuck off," he returned, swallowing hard as the other came up to him, running a hand through pale blond hair, lacking his beanie today.

"Daydreaming about me, chickenwuss?"

"You wish, asshole."

"If not, then why have you been watching me for the past five minutes?"

He huffed and pushed himself away from the wall, boarding away from the other without answer, because he really didn't have one. Glancing back, he noticed Seifer smirking at him and resolved not to get caught staring next time.


	63. Cage

So I disappeared for over two weeks, but look at the bright side, I brought you an 11k story with dragons, blood, gore, and a little smut. Between finals, life, and my other fics I just couldn't get this one out faster, sorry guys. Please don't kill me, then you won't get more fic. I do still have a few more slots for prompts, and here's a nice long fic for you to review...No, I'm not subtle.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: R for violence and smut.

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><p>063. Cage<p>

Dragonkin, that's what his country had termed the people who were human in appearance but could morph into massive fire-breathing reptiles at will. They'd lived among the denizens of Rhodes for centuries before being discovered, unwarranted fear spreading like wildfire through the court and by extension the entire country. Prince Seifer was more intelligent than to think they were anything but harmless; if they were going to take over the world they would have done so long before anyone found out about them. Regardless, the king and the court wizard had all but started a war against them, rooting out and either killing or capturing entire families for nothing more than being dragonkin. Fed up, the scarred blond had secretly joined a small resistance made of the human and dragon allies of the victims, sneaking out of the castle in the night and thwarting the guards to allow them to escape the city. He learned their real name for their species was Wyrmblood, and made sure to refer to them as that when in the company where it was safe to. As far as he was concerned, they deserved his respect.

They weren't always successful in saving them, the wizard Rorik capturing a few and keeping them in the dungeon to torture or experiment on. As the only person who could potentially reach the prisoners, he was tasked with helping them flee, as well as finding out what the hell the sick fuck was doing to them, and why. It didn't take much to convince the guards to leave him the hell alone, going off to the local bar to drink on his gold and thinking little of it. Walking into the cold, damp, and expansive underground prison, he was deeply disturbed to immediately see a dragon's transformed body, twisted and maimed on the floor next to several empty cages. It had been restrained with heavy chains and reeked of dark magic, tongue lolling out of its mouth grotesquely in death.

"_Shit, he's coming back for me now."_

Starting at the voice he could hear in his mind clear as day, he looked around for the source, well aware whoever was speaking was probably out of his line of sight and had no idea he was even there. Keeping an eye out for Rorik, he descended into the depths of the prison, grimacing against the smell of blood, fear, and death. After a few minutes he found his target, a blond man somewhere between seventeen and twenty, collared and shackled in a cage, hair a mess of wavy spikes streaked with blood. There was a guard there taunting him, apparently about to take him to the wizard to have the same terrible experiments performed on him. Sneaking up to him, he held a finger to his lips to tell the brown-eyed dragonkin to be silent, covering the guard's mouth and driving Hyperion through his chest.

"Hey, I'm here to help you, okay? Don't be afraid," he reassured the terrified prisoner, his wide eyes searching the prince for some sign of motive.

"The keys are on his belt, left side. I'm the only one here left alive," he returned helpfully, voice tinged with pain and fear.

"How did you do that, by the way? Think so that I could hear you when the guard was coming for you?" The blue-eyed man whispered as he opened the cage and approached the dragonkin to remove his bindings.

"_You mean like this? You can…actually hear me?"_

"Yeah, that. Can you walk? Your leg is injured, and if I use magic Rorik will sense it immediately."

"_I'll explain how I can speak like this later, and no, I can't walk very well,"_ he replied honestly, looking somehow ashamed at being too weak to walk on a badly broken leg.

"Okay, I'll carry you until I can heal you safely. Can you climb on my back?"

The younger man did as he was asked after he was helped up, arms wrapped tightly around Seifer's neck and chin resting on his shoulder. Slipping away just as the wizard's voice could be heard asking for the guard to hurry up, he was relieved to breathe the night air instead of the stench of decay. Carrying his charge to the castle wall nearby, he met his comrades, Fuu and Rai there to take him to the others. He healed the lithe male and let him down, grabbing his hand to calm him down as they ran through the darkness toward the camp in the woods outside of the ramparts of the city.

"_Have you tried talking to me like this, telepathically? Just try to think loud."_

"_Are all Wyrmbloods telepathic? I've never been spoken to by one this way before," _he attempted, not really sure how to be conversational while thinking.

"_We're all telepathic, but not in the sense you're thinking of. If I might make a request, please don't talk to anyone else about this for now? Are there others where we're going?"_

"_Yeah, no problem, whatever you want. There are about a dozen others that have decided to join us instead of leaving for nations more kind to them since the discovery of the Wyrmblooded. Do you have any family that you're looking for?"_

He was struck by a wave of sorrow so strong he almost stumbled as they neared the camp before he heard the other respond, _"My family…My mother was the dragon you saw at the entrance to the dungeon, my father died trying to prevent them from capturing us, and my brothers and sisters were killed by the same experiments as my mother, their bodies stored elsewhere for him to study."_

It was hard to tell if it was because of the emotional feedback he was getting from the other or his own feelings, but it was hard not to cry. He'd dealt with people who had lost one or two family members to the razing of the population by the empire, but never with someone who had watched their entire family die from the disgusting tests that the powerful magic-user had performed on them. He hoped that he could see Rorik killed slowly.

"_I'm so sorry for the actions of my people, it's unforgiveable. Tell me, did you hear of any other plots to search out Wyrmbloods that were living at the edges of the country?"_

"_No, Rorik assumed, correctly, that almost all of the surviving dragons would have fled the country when the killing started. As far as I know, my family was the last one he could get his hands on."_

"_Then maybe we can finally leave this godforsaken nation to boil to death in its own paranoia. We've been staying only to help everyone escape, if they're gone, it would be safer if we left as well. My name is Seifer, by the way, forgot to mention. Nice to meet you."_

"_I'm Hayner. You're Seifer…as in prince Seifer Almasy, sole heir to the throne?"_

"_Yeah, that one. I assure you I had absolutely no control over what's happened, but you're welcome to hate me if you'd like,"_ he replied resignedly, knowing that ire was his burden to bear for the circumstances of his birth, just as death and suffering was theirs.

"_You rescued me, I'm not going to hate you for who your father is. I can sometimes hear you thinking even when you don't intend me to, just thought I should let you know. You're right, those who hate you for the circumstances of your birth are no different from your father hating us for being born Wyrmbloods."_

"Welcome back, Seifer. Were you detected?" Zexion asked, the solemn dragon waiting for him at the edge of the light from the fire.

"No, we made it out safely. Hayner was the only one alive."

"One more safe than we had before. Follow me to my tent, Hayner, I need to speak with you."

The blond with flecks of gold in his dark eyes trailed after him, a nervous frown on his face. There was a slow thrum of restless energy that he could sense from the other's mind, and he had to wonder why he'd never gotten any of this from the other six dozen dragons he'd encountered, or the ten he spent a great deal of time with. He said they could all do it and it wasn't intentional, or else he wouldn't have been able to hear the younger man earlier when he didn't even know Seifer was there. He'd just have to wait until the other got done talking with the tactical leader of the resistance.

Sitting next to the fire, he wondered what type of dragon Hayner was. From his time with the others he'd come to understand there were more than one breed. Zexion was an ice dragon, which went lengths to explain his demeanor, Axel was a fire dragon, Demyx a water dragon, and Roxas was a wind dragon. There were other kinds, he just hadn't had the chance to meet one yet. If he had to guess based on the color of the flecks of errant pigment in the other's eyes, he'd have to go with a metal or earth dragon. His mother had been an earth dragon, but dragons didn't necessarily give birth to the same element that they were, it had to do with what Spirit blessed them during their gestation.

"_You know a lot about us, for a human. I'm a metal dragon, since you were wondering. Gold, to be specific."_

"_Metal dragons come in different colors?"_

"_Literally different metals, actually. Metal dragons have alloy scales made of an ore and something called dragonsteel, mine are made of a gold and dragonsteel mix. My older brother was also a metal, but he was copper. Gold dragons are more resistant to magic than their counterparts, but we have weaker physical defenses than some of the harder metals. Rorik knew this, so he was saving me for last, hoping the one of my family would be more receptive to his spells."_

"_What exactly was he trying to do? And how did he know so much about dragons anyway?"_

"_I didn't believe it when I first realized, but Rorik is a dark dragon, the only kind that can use arcane magic, the rest of us can only heal or do black magic. He was trying to successfully develop a spell to enslave other dragons to his will using what was left of the words to the spell in a half-burned book he has. He needed dragons to test it on, since he doesn't know all of it, he wanted to use trial and error. If he perfected the spell, he could use his powers as a necromancer to raise dead dragons or capture live ones and turn them into mindless slaves."_

"_If he's a dragon, and wants an army of them, why would he start a war on them so strong it either got them killed or caused them to flee?"_

"_I don't pretend to understand his mind. Suffice to say it's likely he will at some point succeed. He was getting very close to completing the spell when you rescued me."_

"_So we have to stay here long enough to kill him, then. Can he be killed?"_

"_Yes, but his magic is very powerful, and the castle is warded to protect him, he's stronger there. When he decides to conquer this country I'm sure he'll come after you, an heir would make the risk of a rebellion too high for his liking. Considering you're backed by dragons, he will probably lead his own zombie dragons against you and attempt to kill you himself."_

"_If it'll give me a shot at him, I'm happy to be a target…Isn't it hard to carry on a conversation with Zexion like this?"_

"_A little, but it doesn't bother me. I was in a cage by myself for a week, being able to talk with anyone is great, I'm not going to complain if two people are talking with me at once. He's almost done anyway."_

"_So, are you going to stay with us, or leave for a far country?"_

"_Stay with you, pointless to leave when there's no one to go with me."_

There was a sudden halt in conversation when the other emerged from the tent with the dark-haired ice dragon, the latter managing to look paler than he did normally. He informed them that they would leave at dawn, and assigned Axel and Roxas the night watch. Hayner sat down next to the scarred royal, drawing his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them.

"How old are you, Hayner?"

"I'm nineteen, turning twenty in two months. You're twenty, right? Your birthday is five months before mine, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, I am. You look young for your age, I assumed you were closer to eighteen," he commented, then added, "Hey, are you tired?"

"It's hard to sleep well while chained in a cage surrounded by your dead family members, so I could use a decent night's rest."

"You can use my bedroll, I doubt there are any extras at the moment," he offered, jerking his thumb toward the empty sleeping bag next to his two best friends.

"And you'll just sleep on the ground?"

"I've lived with more wealth and luxury in the past two decades than most people will ever even imagine, I can deal. Go to sleep, Hay."

"Thanks, Seif."

Running a hand through his hair, he stared into the fire and considered the idea of leaving his homeland in the control of a deranged dragon and just waiting for Rorik to come after him. There wouldn't be any love lost between him and his father, so the King's life being in danger didn't faze him. The thing that bothered him most was the fate of the innocents of the country, and of the humans and dragons that chose to stay with him. It was exceptionally doubtful he'd even stand a chance without them, but he hated the idea of people dying to protect him.

His thoughts were halted an hour later when he felt a powerful surge of fear from his newest companion, standing and walking over to where the dragon slept in the clutch of a nightmare. He showed no outward signs of it, but regardless Seifer shook him awake, his pretty brown eyes wide with shock as he jerked awake. Hayner calmed down fairly quickly, breathing becoming regular and a slight frown creasing his face.

"_You okay?"_ The older blond asked, concerned at his silence.

"_Yeah, I am now. Sorry, was I making noise in my sleep?"_

"_No, I could feel your fear, so I guessed you were having a nightmare."_

"_You can feel my emotions too?"_ He asked, then paused before continuing, "_Can we talk about this right now?"_

"_What's wrong?"_

"_To begin with you want to know why we're able to communicate this way and feel each other's emotions, right? Dragons and humans share a very old bond with each other, when the Spirits originally created all the living creatures on Gaia they gave each unique abilities, and to maintain good relations between the two races they gave each the ability to communicate telepathically with one person of the other species. Centuries ago it was a ritual for Wyrmbloods and humans to go to a temple located at the place you now know as The Intersection, the place where all four kingdoms share a border, shortly after they came of age. There they would meet their counterpart. All partners were born a maximum of six months apart. After the War of Erasure humans were forced to forget about this practice and dragons themselves, so it's incredibly rare for bonded people to meet now."_

"_So we can do this because we're…bonded?"_ The prince guessed.

"_Yeah, exactly. I wasn't sure at first, but there's nothing else it could be. There used to be a stigma against it among dragons, because it's hard to hide what we are if a human can basically read our minds, but I guess that really doesn't matter now. I'm sure the others will catch on quickly, they're bound to wonder why we stare at each other without speaking for extended periods of time."_

"_What are you going to do if they question you about it?"_

"_Tell them the truth, no avoiding it. You seem…very unbothered by all this,"_ The sandy-blond man commented, feeling uneasy, like he was waiting for his companion to snap.

"_Why would I be upset? I honestly have nothing against Wyrmbloods, I don't see an issue with being bonded to one. Is there something else you're not telling me?"_

"_There's typically a more…romantic component to bonding. Being able to understand each other better than normal people, after all."_

Being able to sense the other's emotions made it easier to understand where he was going, that was for sure, "_And you're worried I'd be upset because we're both guys? Relax, that's really not a problem, I don't adhere to the idea that we should only fuck or fall in love with the opposite gender."_

"_You're unusually enlightened, even some dragons get hung up on that."_

"_If you haven't noticed, I don't really operate within the cultural norms of my people. Look, we could talk about this more, but we're heading out in five hours and I think you should try to sleep."_

He could sense the other's apprehension, and after a moment the other asked him out loud to sleep next to him. The smaller blond curled up against his back, an air of vulnerability radiating from him. It was disturbing to get even brushes of the emotional trauma the brown-eyed teen had been experiencing. Pushing his anger at the court mage's immense cruelty aside, he closed his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

* * *

><p>Seifer knew time was running out when he saw the fires from the capital on the horizon, two weeks after they originally escaped the country he called home for twenty years. They were just inside the border of the most dragon-friendly neighbor empire. The leader of the city offered them a place to stay, the woman herself a Wyrmblood. The citizens knew who he was, but they ignored his bloodline in favor of his newest title; Axel stepped down as the co-leader of the resistance group and prompted Seifer to his position. The scarred man worked alongside Zexion to make contingency plans for when Rorik came to kill him. They'd stopped treating it as a possibility and instead as an inevitability. If the dark dragon was burning the castle city, it wouldn't be long before he came for the last remaining royal in line for the throne.<p>

"How long do you think we have, Seif?" Hayner asked, standing at his side as he looked out over the small hill just outside of town.

"A few days, a week at most. You don't have to stay, you know. Just because we're bonded doesn't mean you have to fight my fights."

"I'm not scared, if that's what you're getting at. If you're just addressing your complex about getting other people hurt, quit it. I'll protect you if I damn well want to. You don't stand a chance against Rorik alone, no matter how good you are with a blade. Have you ever even seen a transformed dragon, Seifer?"

"Nope, none of the Wyrmbloods around me have had cause to change into their other form. Why do you ask, Hay?"

"I need to teach you a few things about our anatomy, then. Would be better if you could see firsthand. Hold on," the sandy-blond teen replied before walking a short distance into a stand of trees and bushes common in this lightly-wooded area.

He waited, curious. Seifer could only assume his companion was transforming, and probably couldn't do so with his clothes on. Thinking about the other naked when he could fairly easily read the blue-eyed man's mind was probably not the best idea. It was a bit shocking to realize just how big metal dragons were; he knew they were one of the largest breeds, but he hardly expected to be staring at a three story tall winged lizard as it emerged from the trees. He had several bony horns on the crown of his head that sort of reminded the prince of his hair, and his scales flashed gold and red in the setting sun. The scarred man involuntarily stepped backward when Hayner got close, his partner snorting at him and snaking his head down until his chin nearly brushed the ground, eye level with the human.

"_I'm not as lumbering as you think, not going to crush you, Seif. You're not suddenly reconsidering your acceptance of Wyrmbloods, are you?"_

"_You know I'm not, idiot. You'll always be Hayner, it's just at the moment you're quite a bit scalier,"_ he retorted, reaching out and running his hand along the smooth ridge of the teen's jaw.

"_There was a purpose to this, if you remember, and it wasn't so you could pet me like a cat. If you don't know the weak points in a dragon's scale armor you won't last two hits in a battle against one. You're already near the first, where my jaw meets my neck is a soft spot, though dragons tend to have mannerisms in battle and normal movement that unconsciously protects this one. You might be able to fire off a round into it, but chances are your best chance is to go for the heart. Right here, just below my left foreleg, there's a small gap in the scales to allow movement. Drive your sword through this section toward the chest and you should be able to slide through the ribs and right into the heart. Not easy to get under a dragon that's trying to kill you, but one of us should be able to help you with that."_

"_You know, everyone always talks about how frightening dragons are in their true form, but honestly all I see is that you're beautiful,_" he replied, not so distracted that he didn't absorb the valuable information his companion was giving him, but enough not to manage an intelligent response.

Hayner paused a moment, large brown eyes blinking at him in confusion. If he was human at the moment, Seifer could assume he'd be blushing right now. It was true though; the golden reptile was beautiful in a way a person could never hope to be, heavy and thick with muscle yet as graceful as a bird.

"_Shouldn't say stuff like that, sounds like you're hitting on me."_

"_Why can't I, is there some rule against finding Wyrmbloods aesthetically pleasing in their dragon forms?"_

"_No, it's just not nice to lead people on, Seifer."_

He cocked his head and smirked at the other, _"Who said I was leading you on?"_

"_Humans are so difficult to understand. So, what, you're attracted to me suddenly?"_

"_Not suddenly, Hay. Anyway, can you fly?" _He asked, deciding to change the subject, if only to be more irritating.

"_You're awful. And yes, I can. Climb on my neck, I can show you,"_ the brown-eyed teen answered, turning his head.

As instructed, he pulled himself up to sit on the base of the Wyrmblood's neck, armored ridges behind him running the length of Hayner's back. Wrapping his arms around the dragon's neck, he noted how warm the other was, just sort of being uncomfortable. Without pretense, his bond partner launched into the air, wingbeats propelling him toward the darkening sky. It was hard to hold on until he leveled out, wings stiff as he glided on a thermal. In the remaining light he could see the world below him, the landscape much different from above.

"_Pretty, huh? We don't get to fly much, just as we don't get to shift often. I suppose now that everyone knows about us again, we can. At least until humans let their paranoia reach a fever pitch and start another War of Erasure and this can all start from the beginning again."_

"_How long do dragons live, anyway?"_

"_We're technically immortal, we don't die of natural causes, only from combat. We can stop our aging process whenever we want, most choose to stop aging around thirty, unless they need to get older to keep up appearances in their community. Oh, I suppose I should have mentioned, since you've bonded with me, you will live for as long as I do. If I die, you die, and the opposite is also true. You'll also stop aging when I do. You can see why bonds were so valued in ancient times, they're truly a gift. One that goes to waste more often than not."_

"…_You're serious?"_

"_Deadly serious. Ever since we first made contact and finalized the bond, and even if we get separated for some reason it will stay like that. Why most bond pairs stuck together in some capacity until their deaths."_

"_So I'm stuck with you, forever. You're just lucky you're cute enough that I don't mind."_

"_I'm lucky? You're lucky, asshole,"_ the dragon replied before cartwheeling and catching his human counterpart mid-air in a cage of claws.

"_Fuck, don't do that,"_ he swore once he could think clearly, heart hammering in his chest.

"_Scare you? You know I wouldn't just drop you."_

"_Yeah, 'cause you'd die too."_

"_Don't know if I'd want to live without you anyway."_

The joking tone had left his mind completely as the younger man said this, a dark ache barely veiled in his thoughts. Seifer understood immediately, and not just by virtue of a dedicated line to his partner's brain; Hayner had lost everyone already, the prince was the last person he had a deep connection with. Losing the man with ice-colored eyes would destroy him even if they weren't bound to each other. He was becoming good friends with the humans Olette and Pence, and Roxas as well, but friendships paled in comparison to the emotional investment involved with family or the bond between the two of them.

"_I might be a little in love with you,"_ he admitted to his sandy-blond companion as they landed, the metal dragon releasing him onto the grass before planting his forelegs on the ground next to him.

"_I might be a little in love with you, too."_

Sighing, his companion moved back into the trees to return to his human form, Seifer smirking and following him after a few beats. He caught the teen's shirt as he attempted to pull it on, pants slung low on his hips. Hayner huffed as the offending article of clothing was tossed aside by the prince, the older man's hands roaming the planes of his chest and stomach. He gasped and whimpered when the scarred blond latched his lips onto the lithe male's neck. Turning him and pinning him to the nearest tree, Seifer pressed their mouths together, wondering why the hell he hadn't done this a week ago.

"_Because you're not a whore and neither am I. Where's this going, Seif? Not really in the mood to lose my virginity in the woods, you know?"_

"_Never would have guessed you're a virgin, is it because of the whole liking men issue?"_

"_The fear of being killed for it, yes, and I don't just throw myself at the first guy who seems vaguely interested. You, however, are extremely attractive, and I'm going to be with you for the rest of my life. So I don't mind throwing myself at you."_

"_Funny, I don't mind that either. We should go back home though, if this persists much long I won't want to stop, and neither will you."_

"_You have a point. The others will start worrying if we stay out much longer, too. Give me my shirt back, would you?"_

"_Why would I want to do that?"_

Hayner pushed him down and straddled him playfully, reaching over and picking up his top, successfully pulling it on this time. Leaning down to kiss him chastely, he stood back up and offered his companion a hand up. Smiling, he took it, following the other the half mile walk back to where they were staying. The others noted a difference between them, Roxas looking at him with a semblance of irritating. They'd never gotten along fantastically, he was likely considering whether he should intervene in their relationship and protect his new friend from whatever he thought the scarred man was. It was odd, none of the dragons or humans had stopped to ask why the two of them acted so strangely around one another, only talking out loud when it was more socially convenient to do so. Maybe they were all just too distracted by current matters to spare a thought for something that didn't pose a danger to them.

"It looks like Rorik has already started tearing the capital apart, not sure if your scouts have told you the same yet," Hayner said, running a hand through his hair.

"No, not yet. They're still on their way back I would imagine. May I speak to you, Seifer?" Zexion asked, extricating himself from Demyx's arms, which had been wrapped around his neck as the blond leaned over him and his work until now.

He nodded, walking after the shorter dragon with a short glance back at his partner. They went into the room dedicated solely to their discussion of tactics and plans, the slate-haired man shutting the door behind them. It was hard to get a read on him at the moment, he seemed vaguely angry, but he could have also been confused. The stoic ice dragon rarely made much of a facial expression when he wasn't with his lover.

"I've been ignoring it, but there's something going on between you and Hayner, and I don't just mean a relationship. You can communicate with each other without speaking, I've seen you two do it for almost half an hour straight. I've got my hypotheses, but I'd like to hear it from you rather than just guessing."

"We're bonded, we can speak with each other telepathically, and sense one another's emotions. As Hayner explained to me just today, apparently we'll die together too. And yeah, we've fallen into a romantic relationship recently."

"Ever since the War wiped out a large part of the dragon population and the humans forgot about us, it's basically unheard of for two bondmates to find each other by random chance. Many humans are born without partners these days. You're correct though, your lives hinge on one another. To that end we should probably keep the two of you together on the battlefield, that way you can at least protect one another. You certainly don't make things easy, do you Seifer?"

"I try not to," he answered with a smirk, before continuing more seriously, "Is there anything else about this that Hayner might have forgotten to tell me?"

"Not that I can think of. Some dragons don't take kindly to a same-sex relationship, bonded or not, but you're not likely to meet anyone so vocal about it so long as you're with us. Wyrmblood or human, no one likes to speak out against a group larger in number than them."

"And dragons don't have a problem with human and dragon pairings, beyond the obvious issue with your hidden identities?"

Dark blue eyes flicked up to meet his, measuring, "Usually we do, actually. Humans, even in love, rarely treat us well after they find out what we are. You, however, are an exception. I would venture to say the others are most likely quite happy for you two. I suppose I am too; Hayner needs someone."

"And Rorik needs to die for all that he's done. At the very least it probably won't be long before we get our chance."

"Since you'll be with Hayner the majority of the time we're fighting, you need to know that metal dragons are unique not only in their alloy-specific abilities and sheer size, but unlike the other dragons they don't have the ability to breathe any element. In Hayner's case, he can negate magic to some extent, and spits an acid that can melt through basically anything, including dragon hide. He's not finished growing either, but that's neither here nor there."

"He's going to get _bigger?_"

"By at least twenty percent. Assuming, of course, that the two of you survive that long."

"Have a little faith in us, Zex, I'm not that reckless. At least not when it comes to the lives of others."

The other quirked a smile at him, which was startling, "Another unusual quality for a human, and one I have to admit I admire. I'm sure you'll be fine, people like you are tough to kill."

Sensing the end of the conversation, he nodded and turning on his heel, walking back out and rejoining the brown-eyed teen waiting for him. The conversation he was having with Roxas, Pence and Olette halted immediately, the other three shifting awkwardly and throwing their friend a smile before leaving.

"_What was that about?" _He asked the younger man.

"_Could say the same about your sudden meeting with our tactician. They wanted to know what was happening between us, and I told them. I'm going to guess that Zex wanted the same."_

"_You'd be right. Roxas wasn't happy about it, was he?"_

"_Roxas is rarely happy about anything, just how he is. He'll deal though, he kind of has to."_

Fuu and Rai came up to them, congratulating them because apparently news traveled really fast in their tight-knit group. Naturally the silver-haired girl kicked him for not telling her sooner, but she seemed to understand regardless. It worried him that he might lose any of the people here, not sure he'd be able to handle it well. As it was he often questioned how Hayner was still able to function after what had happened. Taking their leave of the group, they headed up to the sleeping quarters. The two blonds had been sleeping in the same room since they got here, everyone had to share rooms anyway and it seemed natural for them to go together. Of course they very rarely made use of both beds, preferring instead to sleep next to each other. Tonight wasn't any different, Hayner falling asleep in his arms easily.

An hour later the blue-eyed man hadn't fallen asleep yet, thinking rather than resting as he should have been. The golden dragon started whimpering and shifting erratically, prompting the prince to shake him awake. He had nightmares frequently, generally related to the week he spent in a cage. The other shivered when he pulled him closer, eyes squeezed shut.

"_Anything I can do to help you, Hay?"_

"_I'll be fine in a minute, sorry."_

"_Nothing to be sorry for."_

"_You should get to sleep, you can worry about everything in the morning."_

The other had a point, but he didn't feel like sleeping just yet. He had always assumed the best option was to slip away and fight Rorik on his own, maybe with Fuu and Rai if they'd caught on quickly enough to chase after him. Successful or not, the others would be safe and could move on with their lives. Perhaps group with larger amounts of Wyrmbloods and human warriors to take the country back from the spiteful dragon. Now that he knew Hayner's life was linked to his, he couldn't do any of that. He couldn't even be angry that the brown-eyed man had made things so difficult for him. Two hours later he was too tired to think anymore, finally slipping under.

* * *

><p>"Seifer, wake up!"<p>

Groaning, he forced his eyes open at his partner's panicked tone, surprised the other was speaking to him out loud. Seconds later he could hear the unmistakable roar of a dragon, nearly deafening as close as it was. The watch dragons must have already transformed to combat whatever they were up against.

"_Guy can't even wait a fucking day to come after me. Goddamn it."_

He rolled out of bed, thankful they were always half-dressed in the event something like this happened, and pulled on his pants and coat, grabbing Hyperion as he followed Hayner out the door of their shared room. Demyx and Zexion were in the current watch if he remembered correctly, his memory confirmed when he saw the water and ice dragon fighting off the rotting corpse of a fire dragon, purplish-black smoke oozing from the festering holes in its body. Its broken jaw roared out fire, the blue dragon moving to protect his silvery counterpart. Being a water dragon, Demyx had considerably better defense against fire.

"_It looks like he succeeded. That's my older sister. Or, was,"_ the metal dragon informed him, mind thick with anguish.

"_How many brothers and sisters did you have?"_

"_Three brothers, two sisters. So he has at least six undead dragons, counting my mother."_

"_I'm sorry, Hayner. You shouldn't have to fight this battle."_

"_Should be one of them, so I'll count my blessings and deal,"_ he replied as he cleared the buildings and transformed.

It was odd to see him next to other fully-grown dragons and know he was going to get even larger; he was about the same size as Axel after the pyromaniac turned, slightly larger than the others. They all had different body types, Roxas was thin and aerodynamic, wings like razors, while Demyx was a serpent-like beast, three smaller sets of wings enough to keep him airborne when he wasn't diving toward Hayner's deceased sister. Zexion and Axel were very similar to the metal dragons in shape, though Axel had more bony ridges and horns, the ice dragon with crystalline spikes.

"_Rorik is there, the black dragon next to my mother and two of my brothers. His spell on the others won't wear off until he's dead, they'll just keep attacking until they're torn apart, and then the parts will keep fighting."_

"_So unless we can get to him, there's no way we stand a chance."_

_Get on my back, I can get you closer. You're a little small to go up against all of them by yourself, no offense."_

"_None taken, you're just telling the truth."_

He pulled himself up onto the other's back, glad for the full moon illuminating the battlefield. Dragons could see considerably better than humans in the dark and they didn't need to be any more disadvantaged than they already were. Aiming Hyperion, he fired a few shots at the earth dragon's head, aiming for her sightless eyes to slow her down as she headed to intercept her son. Hayner balked when she snarled, molten rock dripping from her fangs. He reminded himself she was dead so forcibly that Seifer could hear him before he spat acid at her face, melting half of it. What remained of her jaw breathed lava at them, her son managing to dodge it with minor singeing of his left foreleg, Axel engaging her in his place as he traveled further toward the traitor mage.

"The wayward Prince finally shows his face. Done being a coward?" The black monster asked him as he faced his metallic counterpart, breaking off from the two zombies at his side.

"Never was, you're the one who hid his identity and backstabbed an entire country into submission," he shouted back, jumping down and jogging toward him as his partner launched himself at Rorik.

They crashed together and tumbled in a writhing ball of scales and hatred, the court mage on top, pinning Hayner's head down with his foreclaws and leaving a perfect opening for the scarred blond. Taking a deep breath, he ducked under the dark dragon's wing and hoped he wasn't crushed in the fight. Aiming for exactly where his partner told him the heart lay, he sunk his gunblade deep into the Wyrmblood's armpit, blood gushing out dark and thick. His opponent slumped against the metal dragon he had locked talons with, before releasing a guttural laugh and rising again, taking a swing at Seifer that sent him flying. Rolling to a stop, he grunted and pushed himself to his feet unsteadily to observe this sudden change of events.

"I suspected you might get in a lucky shot, little coward, so I embedded within myself a jewel infused with my power to reanimate the dead. You cannot kill me!"

A massive claw pressed him to the ground before Hayner could stop the older dragon, a single needle-like talon crushing rib and lung alike as it penetrated the right side of his chest, effectively pinning him. On the verge of passing out from the pain alone, he choked on the blood flooding his throat and glanced around for his sword, lost when he was flung. Looking up at the dragon likely to end his life, he saw the purple gem glowing on his forehead, frustrated that he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

"_Hang on Seif,"_ his companion said before using Rorik's obsessive attention to the downed human to wrap his jaws around the reptile's neck, throwing him to the ground and forcefully extricating him from the brown-eyed teen's bondmate.

Using a healing spell on himself, he coughed until he could breathe somewhat regularly again and retrieved his sword from where it lay several feet away before turning to the source of all his problems. Hayner had managed to twist his neck all the way around to prevent him from successfully orienting himself well enough to land a kick, otherwise occupied just keeping him grounded. It was up to him to deal the final blow, clearly. He approached Rorik and slammed Hyperion into the gem on his head with both hands, the sudden onslaught of dark energy knocking him to the ground. The sudden silence told him the zombie dragons had stopped fighting and he couldn't bring himself to get up, the strain from his near-fatal injury catching up to him fast. Hayner sensed this and picked him up gently, placing the prince on his snout to carry him back to the others. Rorik's blood was still dripping from his teeth and he could tell the other was darkly satisfied with the man's death. He was too, though for different reasons. Seifer supposed he just had to hope this gave his partner some measure of peace.

"_I'll be fine Seifer, really. Just rest for now, okay? We'll deal with everything when you're not on the verge of passing out from fatigue."_

Closing his eyes, he let himself succumb to the crippling exhaustion of his body having to heal itself of fatal wounds. He was aware of the others carrying him into the building, but nothing after that.

* * *

><p>He came to slowly and reluctantly, drawn out by the sounds of people talking near him.<p>

"Just let him sleep, you know how hard it is on humans to be wounded like that. The politics can wait until he's not so tired he'll pass out."

"I know it's better that we leave him be, Hayner, but Lady Anise is insisting that she speak to him immediately about the state of the country that he technically now leads. It's in her best interest for it not to fall into less capable hands, since we're so close to the border. Seifer can sleep later."

"The Lady needs to speak with me?" He asked, sitting up and resting his head on one fist as the others turned to face him.

"You're awake," Zexion replied simply, surprised.

"It's been a few days since you lost consciousness, Seif, everyone's been worried," Hayner added, dark eyes concerned.

"Almost dying does that, I guess. I assume me suddenly becoming leader of my country by being the sole heir to the throne is what she wants to speak with me about, correct? No reason to keep her waiting, I'm awake anyway."

"You sure Seif?" His counterpart pressed, anxious.

"She won't go away if I make her wait, no reason to keep her," he said with a shrug, gesturing for the slate-haired man to leave them alone for a moment.

"_It's not nice to sleep for days on end, Seifer, especially when no one knows if you're going to wake up. I was terrified, asshole. Are you alright?"_

"_I'm fine Hay, didn't mean to worry you. You should know I'm too tough to get taken out by something as pedestrian as a dragon."_

"_Right, of course, how silly of me. What are you going to do, by the way?"_

"_About what?"_ The blue-eyed man questioned as he got dressed, not understanding to what situation he was referring and too lazy to delve deep enough to see.

"_The fact that you're now the king of an entire country, the capital of which was just ravaged, and that likely hates all dragonkind even more now than they did before?" _

"_Oh, that. I suppose having a dragon for a lover will make things difficult, but I fully plan to teach the people the difference between good and evil Wyrmbloods. Perhaps once they understand the extent of Rorik's schemes they'll stay quiet in their shame, having contributed with their hatred and paranoia to the destruction of their own homes,"_ he turned to look at his companion and saw him blushing, clearly his use of the word lover had had the desired effect.

"_I don't know if letting them know about us right off is the best idea, Seif. For one, I'm a dragon, for another, they're likely to be even more upset that their King is with another man."_

"_If I'm going to rule anything I'm not going to do it halfway. They'll know everything about me up front, including you, so long as you're okay with that. If they don't like it they can try to overthrow me, I'm fully capable of defending myself you know."_

"_And you'll have a big bodyguard, too, don't forget. Several of them, in fact."_

"_The others? I'm not going to ask them to follow me, they deserve some measure of peace after everything they've been through, and they'll find it more readily here than there. The same goes for you, you have the option of staying."_

"_You say that as if you ever entertained the idea that I would leave your side. Not happening, Seifer, not on our lives. The only way I'll ever find peace is with you."_

"_Anyone ever tell you how beautiful you are?"_ The royal asked suddenly, pressing him against the door and cupping his face.

"_N-no, what the hell, Seif?"_ He stuttered slightly, turning red.

"_And cute when you're flustered, too,"_ he added before kissing his bondmate deeply, threading his fingers into the other's perpetually spiky blond hair.

"_If I asked a scholar to define the phrase 'hopeless romantic', I'm fairly certain they would simply point to you. Let's save this for later, alright? If we continue we're going to get interrupted and I will deeply resent whoever does so."_

"_Whatever you want, Hay. Love you."_

"_Love you too, Seifer. Always will."_

They left to meet the leader of the city, Anise, a green-eyed wind dragon with a commanding presence. She was incredibly kind behind her loud voice and ramrod straight back, the soul of a healer in the body of a soldier.

"I must congratulate you on your sweeping victory, King Almasy, you and your cadre didn't even cause damage to the city; it was a tactical miracle. How are you feeling? As far as I know you've been deeply asleep the past few days, are you well now?"

"I'm fine now, thanks, and my name is still Seifer. Yourself? Hopefully not too bothered by the townsfolk over our skirmish."

"Not at all, if anything they're equally impressed by you and your allies, Seifer. Of course, there is an issue that's been plaguing me since that night: your sudden ascension to the throne is an issue. At the moment your home is in relative turmoil, the city guards are holding the capital for now but that won't last. You need to return home immediately and take charge of the situation. From what our scouts can tell the city wasn't that badly damaged in Rorik's takeover, so at the very least you shouldn't be facing much reconstruction. Your people need a leader though, Seifer, and you're the only one their traditions will accept without contest. Not only are you the rightful heir to the throne, but you killed the last ruler as well."

"I plan to return as soon as I can and stabilize the country, don't worry. I know you have a stake in that as well, sharing a border with us."

"That, and if anyone can reverse all the hatred flowing out of your home towards Wyrmbloods and prevent another War of Erasure, it would be you and your group. It's in my best interest to improve relations between our species."

"We have the same goals then, I hope to reintegrate dragons into our society, openly this time."

"You'll need a lot of military strength to do that without getting killed, are the others going to return with you?" She pressed, emerald eyes flicking over to Zexion, lurking against the wall behind him, Hayner still standing at his side.

"I'm not going to ask them to risk their lives to protect mine."

"Good, because you don't need to ask, we've already decided to go with you," the ice dragon informed him with a tiny smile, eyelids low over his eyes in thought.

"Looks like you've got a good chance of living long enough to make a difference then, you're welcome to stay until you're ready to leave, and I wish you luck once you get there. Let me know if I can help you."

"I'll keep in touch, Anise. Really appreciate your hospitality, wouldn't have had anywhere to go if it wasn't for you."

"You should understand that I can't turn away people who need help, as far as I can tell you're the same way."

"It's a quality any good leader needs to have, but one that is increasingly rare of late."

He was thinking of his father most of all, who promoted the death of dozens of innocents and the displacement of thousands. It was bad enough to do nothing, but to support attempted genocide was the worst crime a leader could commit and one he would likely spend his entire life, no matter how short or long, trying to repent for. He was used to heavy burdens though, and he wouldn't be carrying them alone. Seifer had the shoulders of at least ten dragons and several other humans to share his responsibilities. Getting up and saying goodbye to the head of the city, he headed back with his tactician and boyfriend to speak with the others as a group.

"So I hear you guys decided to follow me home behind my back, is that right?" He asked them at their impromptu meeting to discuss the move.

"Absolutely. Can't get rid of us that easily, it's our home too, got it memorized? We're willing to give it a second chance so long as you're at the helm. You've been a good leader so far," Axel answered for the collective, everyone else nodding silently.

"Don't really know what to say, except thanks, everyone. When can we be ready? We have a lot of work to do."

"We'll be ready to fly out tomorrow, should touch down in the capital in half a day from then," Zexion replied, voice businesslike.

They discussed the particulars of the shift at length for two hours before everyone gave up on them and went to bed, Demyx dragging his lover away and Hayner huffing at him irritably.

"_Once you two get on a tangent you just don't quit, it's obnoxious."_

"_I'm afraid you'll have to get used to it, I fully plan to keep him as an advisor. Don't be jealous like I know you are, you're always first in my heart."_

"_Better be, jerk,"_ he snapped back before pulling the pale-eyed man into a kiss that was long overdue in his opinion.

Picking the other up against his protests, he carried the brown-eyed teen into their shared bedroom and dropped him on the bed, pressing him down into it and kissing him again. Eventually the sandy-blond pushed him off and Seifer sat down next to him, pulling his clothes off while the other did the same.

"_Whatever happened to your family's bodies, if you don't mind talking about it?"_

"_Given a proper dragon burial while you were unconscious. All the dragons took part to destroy their remains, it's a tradition to let nothing of them but memories remain because our bodies are so large and don't decay past a point. Better for the environment. Rorik was similarly disposed of, just not respectfully."_

"_Again, I'm sorry you had to deal with that. Any of it."_

"_I got revenge, and I met you. All in all I think things ended up even. I'd say I'm sorry about your father's death, but I'm really not."_

"_Neither am I, believe me. He may have been blood, but as far as I'm concerned he was dead as soon as he ordered the capture or death of any discovered dragon."_

"_Seems like we've both lost all the family we had in this conflict."_

"_We've got a new one though, the resistance might as well be related by blood now, after all we've been through. I'm fairly certain even Roxas would risk his life to protect me if he had to."_

"_And I know you'd die for any one of us, and I would too. If we're leaving in the morning, we should probably try to get some sleep."_

"_The way you say that makes me think you're thinking of doing anything but."_

"_It is the last moment we're likely to have alone for a while."_

It didn't take a genius or a mind reader to figure out what he was driving at, and Seifer was all too happy to oblige him. Running his hands down the other's sides, he pressed their lips together and licked his way into his partner's mouth. Hayner broke the contact after a few seconds and started biting and sucking a mark into his neck, ensuring that he was hard now if he wasn't before. Tugging the other's underwear down, he gripped the teen's cock and bit down on his shoulder, turning his whimper into a snarl. He'd always been a more rough lover and that was unlikely to change any time soon, especially since he could tell the spiky-haired blond liked it that way.

"_Damn you're vicious. It's hot."_

"_If you can still think straight I must be doing something wrong."_

He lapped at the puncture wounds he'd inflicted and stroked the other until all he could get from the other's mind was a string of obscenities. It was clear he'd let his guard down when their positions were suddenly reversed, Hayner having flipped them so he was on top. He grabbed Seifer's dick from inside his unzipped pants which he never managed to get off and crashed their mouths together, all teeth and urgency. The younger man bit his lip hard enough to draw blood but he hardly noticed because right then he pressed their cocks together and stroked them in time, something about Hayner getting both himself and Seifer off incredibly hot. The taste of his own blood on the other's tongue was oddly arousing as well.

"_You're a violent lover, not surprising blood turns you on."_

Anything he was going to think back to the lithe teen turned into a jumbled mess when the dragon bit down hard on the tongue he was attempting to shove down Hayner's throat. It hurt, but more than that, it was erotic to actually have a partner that liked playing rough. As if to prove the point the Wyrmblood wrapped his hand around the king's throat, squeezing just enough to inform him that the brown-eyed man had the upper hand in this situation. He'd have to teach his counterpart a lesson about who was the dominant one in this relationship when he wasn't inches away from climaxing.

The smaller blond shuddered and came first, the wave of ecstasy that slammed through the scarred man's consciousness enough to drive him over the edge seconds after. Panting, hot, and sticky, they laid together for a few minutes before cleaning themselves off and curling together in the other bed. The royal healed the injuries inflicted by his partner for appearances' sake, his lover looking slightly abashed.

"_You didn't do anything I wasn't totally okay with, don't worry about it. Just expect some retaliation next time."_

"_You're not used to having a partner you can't break, are you?"_

"_You happen to be the first I wasn't worried about hurting, yeah. Really feisty too, gonna have to do something about that."_

The other smirked at him, _"Gonna tie me up, Seif? I'd be okay with that, so long as I eventually got to return the favor."_

"_Gods, we have to stop talking about this or we're never going to sleep."_

"_You're right, and I doubt the others would be terribly pleased if they had to drag us out of bed. Sleep well, Seif, love you."_

"_Love you too, Hay, night,"_ he replied simply before kissing the other chastely.

* * *

><p>"We're going to land just short of the city walls and transform back into our human forms to enter, everyone understand?" Zexion explained to the dragons of the group, all of them nodding their massive heads as their human companions climbed up on their backs.<p>

Roxas was going to carry Pence and Olette, while Axel had volunteered to bear Fuu and Rai. The others had made similar arrangements with the dragon they were closest with, though Seifer was the only one allowed on Hayner's back. The massive golden dragon would lead them with their king in tow in an arrowhead formation to reduce the drag on the smaller flying reptiles.

It took them several hours to cross the distance, but at least no one fell off the backs of any of the Wyrmbloods. They touched down sometime in the afternoon, sun glistening on their scales as the humans dismounted. It was a bit sad when they transformed, he'd have to have some sort of eyrie built for them in the event they wanted to spend time inside in their true bodies. With dragons to build it he doubted it would take very long to manage something like that. If more people saw what they looked like they wouldn't be as afraid of them; it was the unknown most people feared when they encountered something different from them.

Walking up to the city gate was an interesting experience, the guards unsheathing their weapons in response to being approached by over two dozen people, dropping them and kneeling when he they recognized him. It was impossible not to roll his eyes as he asked them to stand back up and open the gate for him. The populace gathered around them as they headed to the castle; by the time they got into the great hall it was packed with confused, frightened, and excited citizens.

"As most of you are aware, Rorik, our court's mage, was actually a dark dragon. What you may not have been aware of was that I defected with a resistance force that helped the innocent Wyrmbloods you all so vehemently drove away or killed escape this country. He came after me once he killed my father, and I killed him with the help of my dragon and human companions. As I am both the blood heir to the throne, and the killer of the last usurper, it is undeniable that I have become King of this land. I know by your expressions many of you have a problem with my Wyrmblood companions, but I can assure you the only thing that is evil about dragons is what has been done to them by Rorik, by my father, and by _you_. You who would stand idly by while your neighbors are murdered and aid a madman in the destruction of your home because blind hate was more convenient for you than to question anything about the people you lived with for decades. Many of my companions have lost friends, one of them had to watch his entire family tortured and killed for Rorik's experiments.

"Despite all that this country has done to them, they defended me and it in our time of need, and have more right to reclaim their homes here than you do. I won't tolerate discrimination or hatred toward them, and my first act as King is to repeal all laws made in reference to them. Those that wish to return will get their homes and jobs back, and construction on dragon-friendly buildings will begin once the city has been restored to its condition before Rorik brought it to its knees. Any questions?" He finished finally, managing up to this point to talk over the murmurs of opposition.

"Why should we let those dragonkin back in our city, Rorik was one of them and he burned many of our buildings down with those undead monsters of his!" One man yelled over the others.

"The only reason Rorik was able to damage the capital so badly was because this city allowed him to capture that family of dragons and use them as his zombie army. If it's somehow their fault that one of their own kind committed such atrocities, then all of you should face hanging for the war crimes committed by humans on the dragons."

"Dragons are monsters, we can't be safe with them around," a woman in her late forties stated, eyes wide with fear.

"The only monsters in this castle are those of you unable to treat your countrymen with a trace of humanity. Either you submit to my laws or you can leave the country. I doubt our neighbors would be so welcoming of a hateful people when many of their leaders are Wyrmbloods."

About a third of the congregation left, either to argue amongst themselves or leave the city altogether, and he couldn't say he'd miss them. He wanted nothing to do with men and women who couldn't treat their peers like people. Those that remained seemed to be coming to terms with things better than he expected, most waiting for someone else to ask a question, or for some sort of order.

"King Almasy, there's a tradition that a newly crowned royal has to marry within the first year of their reign and you haven't been betrothed, what are your plans regarding that?" A young woman asked, her eyes glittering with half-formed schemes.

"I will be referred to as King Seifer, I want nothing to do with the legacy my father left behind," he returned before pulling his brown-eyed companion forward and wrapping an arm around his shoulders, "This is Hayner Dincht, the sole surviving dragon that Rorik captured and the man that saved my life when fighting him. We're bonded for life, a holy connection between human and dragon, and I fully plan to marry him if he'll have me. That answer your question?"

"_Oh gods did you just propose to me in front of hundreds of people?"_

"_Technically, yes."_

"_You would, you prick. Of course I'll have you, don't know why you would think otherwise."_

"_I didn't, really, but you always have a choice, Hay."_

It took her a minute to recover, but eventually she managed to reply, "Uh, yeah, I guess that answers it. You're…marrying a man? And a dragon at that?"

"Far be it for anyone to question the direct acts of the gods, don't you think? Especially a people that couldn't be bothered to question the laws of a man with metal on his brow."

Many of them looked down with heavy frowns, ostensibly just now getting hit with the severity of what they'd let happen, what they'd helped happen.

"All it takes for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing, all I'm asking is that you actually do something to bring this city back from the precipice of hatred and destruction and turn it into a place where someone might actually want to live. Can you do this?" He asked finally, hoping by now they'd made their decisions.

"So long as the Wyrmbloods don't do to us what we've done to them, I'll be happy to have them as my neighbors again. I hope to live to see what one looks like before they've been disfigured by arcane magic and torture," an old wizard said above the silence, stepping forward to kneel.

"I think I'd like that too," the woman from earlier agreed, following suit.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," the king answered as one by one his subjects accepted his rule.

Two hours later found the city gathered together on the southern ramparts as the dragons of the resistance, the King's Honor Guard as the human and dragon group were now referred to, transformed on the fields below and took flight. Seifer's human companions stood with him on the highest turret to watch his back, the political situation still volatile enough to warrant it. Watching them cartwheel and twist around one another in a massive aerial ballet was fascinating, but he couldn't often take his eyes off his lover and fiancée. Despite what pain and hardship he'd faced, he could count himself as one of the luckiest people alive; he was the king of an entire country, he had a companion and lover that he knew would understand him and stay at his side, and a devoted group of friends and warriors to protect and support him. He just hoped he could improve the lives of his Honor Guard the same way they'd improved his, and by extension better the lives of all of his subjects. It was going to be largely an uphill battle, but for the moment he felt pretty invincible.


	64. Chess

This just got outright weird. Oh well, enjoy~

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: High T

* * *

><p>064. Chess<p>

It was something he'd managed to keep carefully concealed up until now, no mean feat when one considered how attached at the hip his group were. Eventually though, he knew someone was bound to find out about his involvement in the chess club at the nearby college. It took forever to convince them to even let him join but he wasn't about to join the one at his high school. He didn't need to give anyone another reason to start fights with him. When he managed to become the team captain and take them to states, he knew his secret would be out sooner rather than later. Namine had kept her silence about it since he'd let her join the team, but he had no doubts her big brother would be there and it was really hard to hide from someone when you were one of two people sitting at a board in front of them. Seifer was bound to find it absolutely hilarious and give him a bloody nose for it as soon as he showed his face in Twilight again.

After a frustrating several hours they managed to win almost all of their matches and qualified for nationals, which annoyed him more than anything. It meant more travel and more chances for the entire student body of his high school to find out what he did on his Thursday nights. To make matters worse, his mom was being held over at the office and he'd have to wait at least three more hours before being picked up for the hour and a half ride home.

"What's wrong Hay?" The blonde girl asked when she found him leaning up against the outside of the building.

"My mom's going to be a few hours late, nothing big."

"You're so stubborn, come on, Seif'll give you a ride home," she offered before grabbing him by the wrist and dragging him over to the car.

"That sounds like a terrible idea, Nam."

"I really wish you two would quit all your rival bullshit and admit that you actually like spending time with each other," she swore, something that was rare for her.

"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, he doesn't like spending time with me, he likes making me bleed. Not sure how you could get those two confused."

"Don't act like you don't start a lot of those fights. If you two would just acknowledge the unresolved sexual tension between you I'm sure you'd fight a lot less."

"_What?"_ He huffed, disbelieving.

"Boys," she scoffed, rolling her eyes before opening the back door and shoving him in, sitting in the front passenger's seat next to her sibling.

"Hey Seif, we're taking Hay home because otherwise he's going to be waiting for hours by himself. Not negotiable."

"You got it, princess," he replied simply, pale eyes glancing back at the younger boy before pulling out of the parking lot without comment toward him.

Seifer and Namine's relationship was interesting, about the only thing that convinced most people that the bully wasn't just a miscreant. Hayner knew better than that without knowing about her, but most people didn't understand the scarred male as well as he did. His nickname for his little sister wasn't actually an insult, he did treat her like a princess. Anything Namine wanted she got, and she always had a huge bodyguard lurking over her shoulder. It was cute really, the two of them, it was just sad that a lot of their closeness came from losing both of their parents when they were young; for most of their lives they had just each other to really depend on as they were shuffled between relatives.

"So, Hayner, you never told me you were a chess genius and the captain of a college chess club."

"Not a chess genius, just happen to be decent at it, and why would I tell you? I'm sure you're just going to beat me up over it," he grumbled in return, arms crossed over his chest as he stared out the window.

"I think you're pretty damn good, and you know our fights are anything but one sided. If you wanted to, you could just walk away."

Ignoring the latter half because the older blond was right, he latched onto the first part, "How the hell do you know what good is, anyway?"

"He taught me everything I know, and I've still never beaten him. You two should play against each other some time," Namine suggested, though the way she said it told him it was more of a requirement.

"You heard the lady, want to play when we get back to Twilight?"

The idea of waging war on his opponent in a completely different way did intrigue him, so he agreed without a fight, "Yeah, sure, your place or mine?"

"Might as well be ours, since Nam wants to watch us."

"So long as this isn't just an elaborate scheme to kidnap me."

"Pretty sure if Seifer was going to knock you out and tie you up in the basement to molest you he would have already."

"…Your mind is a terrifying place, Namine," the younger boy said finally, not sure if he'd be entirely against that scenario, at least not right away.

"Don't worry, I would rescue you, assuming you wanted to be rescued."

"Quit it Nam, pretty sure Hayner's about to open the door and jump out and I am not going to scrape him off the pavement."

The rest of the ride passed in blessed silence, the sandy-blond leaning his head against the window and dozing for lack of anything else to do. He realized once they'd arrived that he'd never even seen the outside of the siblings' adoptive parents' house; it was a nice two-story home complete with a picket fence. Their guardians were their aunt and uncle, Serah and Snow, and it was obvious which one of them was related by blood to Seifer and Namine. From what he knew it had taken them a while to adopt the orphans because Snow had been ten years younger than his older brother and was only sixteen when the man died twelve years ago. It had to be odd for them to be raising children that were just over a decade younger than the two of them were.

They appeared to be out at work at the moment, the house empty as he was let in and led to a study. There was a board there with a half-finished game, Seifer immediately setting it back up to the start positions, the younger boy following suit with the other color. He offered white to his counterpart, suddenly finding their choice in clothing color to be fitting considering. If he could read people, which he definitely could, he'd guess that the bully was a strike-first kind of player, someone who immediately went on the offensive and didn't let up until their opponent was crushed. Hayner, inversely, played a largely defensive and at times even underhanded game, sneaking up on his opponent by making movements that feinted different strategies altogether. Overconfidence didn't suit his style of playing, so he prepared himself to completely have his ass handed to him; Namine was a great chess player and if she couldn't beat her older brother then he shouldn't expect to be able to either.

"I suppose I should have expected you to play chess, you're enigmatic enough in everyday life to suggest a natural talent for being a tactician. So how much of you is just an act, Hayner?" The scarred male asked conversationally as he moved a pawn flippantly to start the match.

"Don't know what you're talking about, Seifer, I wear my heart on my sleeve. Not much of an actor," he replied as he took a few seconds to decide which of his pawns to move first.

"A spectacular one, actually, to deliver a line like that convincingly. I'm not as stupid as I look."

"You're not? I'm shocked," he bit back as the other moved again, already feeling pressured in more ways than one.

"Fine, how about if I win, you have to answer any three questions I ask you truthfully, no matter how complex? And if you win, you get whatever you want."

"Deal, now shut up and play," he answered as he gnawed on his lip, already feeling the winds of the board abandoning him.

Namine watched them silently, the blonde girl apparently enraptured by their contest. Half an hour later and he'd confirmed two things, that Seifer was indeed a highly offensive player, and two, that he was absolutely going to lose and there was nothing he could do about it. The other male had fallen for none of his traps and he had foolishly lost his Queen to one set up by the pale-eyed bully that took him completely by surprise.

"Checkmate, Hay," the older of the two said softly, something odd in the tone of his voice.

"No shit. So, you won, what the hell do you want to know?" He spat, irritated that he lost and that he was essentially at the mercy of the other.

"Nam, get out of here, would you?" Her elder brother asked, eyes darting over to her.

She frowned at the sharpness of his words but nodded and gave the brown-eyed teen a tiny smile as she left. Seifer pulled off his beanie and carded a hand through his hair, looking nervous for some reason. If anyone had a reason to feel worried it was Hayner, not him.

"Why do you always pretend to be something you're not? Ever since a couple of years ago you've changed. You act like this carefree idiot, but I know you're a lot deeper than that, I can't even understand how you can stand to pretend to be so little of what you are."

It was easy to consider just not answering, or lying, but he was nothing if not honorable and he had lost a fair game, "How much do you know about me and my dad?"

"Basically nothing? You're not the most talkative person with me."

"Yeah, well you're not exactly the most approachable person either, asshole. So my dad and me never really got along since just before I entered high school, and the continued animosity between us eventually caused my mom to get a divorce. Ever since, guess I've just been trying to be a different person to make up for essentially ruining her marriage. There's a lot of things I do that she doesn't even know about, no one does."

"Okay, second question then, what do you do that no one else knows about?"

"The chess club is one that few people know about, but…Struggle is a less violent, more kid-friendly version of actual arena matches, right? Well obviously both of us Struggle and we both have serious anger and aggression issues. You fight people on the street to deal with yours, I happen to go out at night once a month or so and fight in cage matches. As far as I'm aware no one but you knows about it. And yeah, I win."

"You're seriously telling me you're a cage fighter? They actually let you in?"

"I'm a really good liar, don't know if you've noticed. Far as they know I'm nineteen, not seventeen, and I really don't think they'd care if they knew the truth. It's illegal either way. I also take several anxiety and depression medications, only my doctor and Roxas are aware of that."

"Why more than one medication?"

"The causes of my anxiety and depression disorders are a mix of neurotic and genetic and my doctor assumed that the one medication I was on wasn't working well enough when Roxas dragged me to the ER after I tried to kill myself and he found me bleeding out. Far as my mom is aware that was just a freak accident."

This was really more information than he ever intended to give any living person, but maybe he needed to tell someone, and maybe he wanted it to be Seifer. Of all people, the bully had the best means to use the information to hurt him, and was the least likely to ever do so. It was a beautifully fucked up relationship they had. The other's ice-colored eyes were focused on him sadly, chin resting on his fist as though he was deep in thought, elbow on the edge of the table that held the board.

"Never would have guessed you'd ever try to kill yourself."

"Yeah, well. Like you say, I'm always pretending to be someone else, it's hard for anyone to get close enough to the truth to be able to tell that I'm borderline suicidal most of the time. For me it's become a coping mechanism. So, what was your last question?"

"You know, it's really just not important anymore. Hey, Hayner?"

"You've actually been calling me by my name, it's weird. What is it Seifer?"

"I'm in love with you."

He stopped and opened his mouth to reply, failing to come up with anything for several minutes, "I...love you too, have for a while. What brought this on?"

"Was going to ask you if you'd ever felt anything for me other than hatred, but I figured it wasn't important that my feelings were returned anymore after hearing what you had to say."

"Why do you fight me so much if you like me?"

"Because we both have aggression issues and trouble dealing with our feelings in a way that doesn't involve hitting someone? Besides, you start a lot of our fights and don't seem interested in leaving them half-fought."

"I'm sure we could find a better use for that energy," the brown-eyed teen suggested with a smirk, prompting the scarred male to stand and cross the distance between them.

It surprised him a bit when the older blond kicked the chair over and pinned him to the floor, lips pressing roughly against his. Groaning into the bruising contact and yanking on Seifer's hair, he had to wonder when chess became so damn awesome.


	65. Proposition

This ended up really dark, kind of interesting though, vaguely good feeling about this overall.

Theme provided by: Tigerlilith

Rating: M

* * *

><p>065. Proposition<p>

It wasn't hard to find the perfect bait for his undercover operation; it was however very hard to believe that Hayner had just walked back into his life by chance and that the stupid kid had gotten so damn hot. The younger man was enigmatic on the topic of what he did for a living and how he got here in the first place, but he was twenty-four and could damn well take care of himself as far as Seifer was concerned. Or at least that was what he was trying to convince himself with as he watched the brown-eyed blond play pool in the bar the detective was currently scoping out. There was a group of genuinely terrible people that were kidnapping, sexually assaulting, and murdering young attractive blonds from bars in the area and he knew if he waited while his fellow shields guarded the other dives they'd happen upon this one eventually. So he took up the ruse of night bartender and waited for someone that fit their vic profile to recruit to the cause of luring them. It just happened to be his old rival that was his ideal human bait since it was clear they didn't discriminate by gender, and it was currently causing him to have misgivings about the whole operation.

"Hey Hayner, can I talk to you?" He called as he polished a shot glass, trying his best not to stare at the other's ass as he bent over to sink another ball.

"Thought you'd never ask, beautiful," he retorted as he set the cue down, rolling his left shoulder and giving him a cocky smile before walking over.

"In the back, chickadee."

He led the other into the break room area, his fellow employees exiting en masse to give him space. The sandy-blond drifter leaned against a closet door once they were alone, faded, worn green jacket hanging loosely around his plain black tank top. He wore a belt covered with metal studs and tight black jeans, looking every part of a punk with no connections. It was almost like he knew about their tastes and showed up to be the perfect target.

"What exactly are you doing here, chickie?"

"I hustle pool, this is a bar, it's pretty self-explanatory. I also heard about a certain group of people that have been raping and killing people in this area. You're here for them too, right?"

"Yeah, exactly. I'm a cop, and I have a proposition for you. You are essentially the picture of their victim profile, little attachments, no surrounding friends to protect you…And if you hustle pool, I'm willing to bet you're used to using your looks to your advantage. I need you to lure them into the open so I can arrest them. Involves a lot of danger on your end."

"I like living dangerously, especially if it means you owe me a favor. What do I need to do?"

"Be enticing, helpless and aloof? Seems like you've already got two of the three down."

"This sounds a lot like a different kind of proposition altogether, Seif," the younger avoided answering, crossing the distance between them and smirking at him with lowered eyelashes in a way that made him want to pin the other to a wall and kiss him immediately.

"I think there are rules against me sleeping with my civilian lures, otherwise it would be. But in all seriousness you're likely to get roughed up before I can get to you, I doubt they'd try to kidnap you without knocking you out first."

"I'm cool with that, I've been in more than one bar fight. I'll help you, just make sure you get me back."

"Promise I will, chickie. Couldn't live with myself if something happened to your stupid ass on my watch."

"So, what, just do what I normally do until they show up, and then let them take me?"

"Pretty simple, isn't it?"

"Perfect for going after simple criminals. No reason to expect snuff porn makers to be terribly bright."

It took a second for the last part to sink in, "Wait a minute, what?"

"What the hell do you think these people are doing? There's a decent black market out there for it, and since they kidnap people rather than buying them off the human trafficking market, they have less overhead."

"Okay, so what exactly do you do besides hustling pool, Hayner?"

"I've got two bachelor's degrees, one in psychology and the other in sociology, and I'm currently working on my master's project since I have everything else I need to get the degree. Going through small towns hustling pool and tracking down criminals. My focus is in criminal psychology, so it didn't take much to figure out what these assholes are doing and show up looking exactly like they want me to. Pure coincidence that I met you here, not that I mind at all."

"Good to know you've been keeping busy. Where do you live?"

"Basically nowhere, I just ride from one place to another. I was living with my mom, but I got kicked out by her new boyfriend. Left my stuff with Roxas and took off, usually sleep out under the stars, it's relaxing, honestly."

"You're resilient, I'll give you that. My place is about thirty miles from here, you could crash there tonight if you want."

"You asking me out, or just being yourself and offering to take in a stray?"

It was impossible to ignore the other's flirting and he really didn't want to be professional right now, fuck the rules and everything else. It wasn't like he was in the process of getting emotionally involved with his bait, he always had been, so as far as he was concerned it was pointless to act like he wasn't insanely attracted and a little bit in love with the spiky-haired blond. Pressing the lithe graduate student to the nearest vertical object, he crashed their mouths together and dug his fingers into Hayner's hair, bodies flush. Damn he'd missed the feisty blond.

"So, what's in this whole agreement for me, beautiful?" The smaller man said around his elder's tongue.

"Just about anything you want? Got anything in mind?"

"Dunno, think for letting myself get beat up, kidnapped, tied up and molested I'd at least deserve a few blowjobs."

"You sure don't shoot high in negotiations, requesting things I'd give you if you asked anyway."

Hayner moaned when he tweaked the other's nipple and finally pulled away to speak properly, "Pretty sure my knees are gonna give out if you keep that up and I'm not much for exhibitionism beyond making out, we should probably stop."

"I suppose we should, not sure if the staff would tolerate me fucking you on the floor of their break room. Hard to convince them it was part of the job," he acquiesced, stepping away from his companion and really wishing his hard-on would go away.

The rest of the night passed much as it started, with the cop with ice-colored eyes watching his current partner in crime pretend to be an idiot at pool and take people's money with supposedly 'lucky shots' to win his games. He was actually damn good at the game, not to mention playing people like instruments, and watching him bend over the table with that intense look of concentration and tiny smirk on his face was a slow and terrible torture. It surprised him a bit that the other had no place to live; Hayner had never struck him as the kind to become nomadic. It wasn't his choice, but he certainly could have done something about it, he had friends he could have crashed with and he'd be surprised if the man's university didn't offer graduate living quarters. It seemed like his project kept him moving, logically he stopped at campgrounds and the like to shower and the money from his hustling got him food and gas, but having no permanent place to lay his head had to weigh on him.

"You analyzing me, beautiful? What kind of detective are you, anyway? Any special focus?" Hayner asked, taking a break and walking over to lean on the bar, accepting the beer the older man offered him.

"'Course I'm analyzing you, haven't seen you since I went off to the academy. It's been, what, four years? I'm primarily undercover for the moment while my department decides what they think I'm good at. You'd make a good addition to the team, honestly, with your understanding of criminal minds."

"Hoping to recruit me, Seif? I might, for you, but it'll take a little more convincing. It could help with my project but it would involve a lot more extra shit too. Plus, you know how I am with authority."

"Almost as bad as me, you mean? What can I do to convince you? And what's up with the pet name anyway?"

"What, it's true; you are damn attractive, not sure how you manage to stay single. As far as convincing me, you should be able to figure something out. You know me better than most, after all."

"People who aren't frightened off by the scar are pushed away by my line of work, it's not hard to get laid, but no one ever wants to stick around and none of them are worth my time to get them to. You, however, are very much worth the time and effort. Since it seems like you've got nowhere else to go, why don't you stay at my apartment for a few weeks instead of moving on right away? It's gotta get old having to travel to a new place every day."

"Such a charmer. If I don't get killed by these kidnappers I'll consider it."

He smirked in answer, but beneath his apathetic guise he knew that using the other like he was planning to was just a terrible idea. Even now he could barely stomach the idea of someone else's hands on him, much less the hands of rapists and murderers, and he had to intentionally put the other in that situation with only his wits and guns to rescue him. But even if he told the other he'd find someone else, Hayner would just ignore him because he was stubborn and self-sacrificial in the extreme. Life clearly had it out for him.

* * *

><p>Rolling over to answer his phone, he took a second to admire the bare back of his blond ex-rival before pulling on his boxers and pants and walking into the living room to take the call from one of his bosses. Elena and Tseng were the lead detective and chief of police respectively, and it seemed like the former was the one calling him to check up on his progress.<p>

"Have you located someone who frequents the bar that might trigger the persons of interest, detective?"

"Yeah, actually, already discussed it with him. Hayner Dincht, I believe we spoke of him once."

"That Hayner? Don't tell me you've already slept with him, you know how bad it is to be emotionally involved in an operation, Seifer."

"I did sleep with him, yes, but if you remember anything about that conversation you'd know I was involved long before this. He came here to find them as well, and dressed the part, he's perfect. I'd be an idiot to pass up the opportunity he's presenting me to catch these assholes with a trap baited with a capable and knowing lure."

"You aren't using his feelings for you as a bargaining tool, are you?"

"Elena, do you know me, at all?" He asked, and there was a pause before she spoke again.

"I suppose I do know you better than that. If he gets hurt you're going to blame yourself, you understand how badly this could go wrong, correct? This could be a complete success or the self-inflicted end of your career."

"I'm aware of that, yeah. I can trust Hay to handle himself, and I know what I need to do to keep him safe."

"I'm not going to be able to stop either of you, so I wish you luck Seifer. Call dispatch if you need backup at any time, I've got a few patrols out there on a nightly basis now just in case."

"Thanks Elena, I'll keep you updated. Don't work yourself to death."

"I'll try not to, detective."

He ended the call and turned back toward his bedroom to find his companion tugging a hand through his hair in the threshold, dressed in his boxers and Seifer's shirt. He was impossibly adorable and sexy and the older man simply didn't have enough willpower to avoid shoving him back into the room and onto the bed and making love to him again. Anyone with a pulse would have done the same.

* * *

><p>It took three more nights of resisting the urge to take his boyfriend or fuck buddy or whatever they were over the pool table before the suspects showed up. It wasn't hard to tell it was them, no one showed up to dives in fuck all nowhere together beyond the age where they had to use fake licenses to get in. It was a group of seven, two girls and five guys of varying ages and size. The most dangerous appeared to be the biggest of them, a six-something brawler, and a man about Hayner's build but half a foot shorter that was clearly carrying a hand gun. If it was as simple as taking them down right here the two of them could manage it, easily, but unfortunately they needed evidence before they could beat the crap out of them. He did have to wonder what the females were doing in such a disgusting operation, but he supposed there was no making sense of the sick fucks who did this sort of thing. They probably participated; he doubted he'd have a problem punching them too.<p>

"So how'd you get here, anyway?" The largest man asked Hayner, dark eyes following the lines of the blond's body the entire time.

"Hitchhiked, most people don't really mind picking me up, you know?" The other replied with a suggestive smirk before continuing, "Don't really have any friends and my family disowned me, so I just wander from place to place."

"You're pretty good at playing pool, did someone teach you, or did you just pick it up while hitchhiking?"

"I've been hitching rides to bars for three years now, and a lot of them had a pool table, I just picked it up from watching and playing with others."

"That's a long time, does anyone really know where you are?"

"Doubt it? No reason to keep in touch with people, and if they knew I doubt they'd be okay with it. Don't need anyone telling me what to do."

Even from a distance he could see the approval on their faces and it made the urge to pull out his gun and shoot them difficult to ignore. They'd done unforgivable things to people just like Hayner half a dozen times already and fully planned to continue. If any of them managed to evade prison or get out while he was still around they'd find themselves dead in an alley. Bastards shouldn't be allowed near his brown-eyed accomplice, much less get to touch him.

"So where are you spending the night, Hayner?"

"Was just planning on hitching a ride or finding an abandoned barn in the area to sleep in."

"Why don't you come stay with us? We've got a couple of hotel rooms rented for the night."

"No thanks, don't make a habit of imposing on strangers."

It was odd that he refused, but by the looks exchanged by the criminals it was actually the right thing to do. It was clear they were trying to communicate some sort of plan to take him against his will. If he hadn't refused it wouldn't have forced their hand and they had to derive some sort of pleasure from sadism, therefore capture by force was more satisfying than their prey agreeing to follow them. Hayner was eerily good at this, it almost seemed like he had experience with a similar brand of serial killer in the past. Knowing his penchant for self-endangerment, he probably had.

Around one in the morning he said goodbye to everyone with a smile and walked out into the parking lot, immediately followed by the others. They weren't even subtle, apparently bar staff were never very observant with them in the past if they thought they could get away with going after someone so openly. Throwing down the rag he'd been cleaning the bar off with, he stalked out through the back and crept around to the front parking lot. There he found the bear of the group pinning Hayner to the wall of the bar with one hand around his throat. The graduate kicked slightly before his eyelids fluttered and he went limp. Watching them drag him over to one of their vehicles and toss him into the trunk really made him want to drive his fist through a wall. It was a good thing the other had agreed to all this, he couldn't imagine he'd be able to handle these bastards taking him when he really had no idea what was going on. The idea of the spiky-haired man suffering through that kind of fear made him sick.

As soon as they were gone he got into his car and chased after them, thankful he'd thought to put a tracking device in the other's phone when he wasn't looking just in case. They'd likely shut his phone off when they arrived, but he'd still have a way to find his missing companion.

* * *

><p>Coming to tied up and gagged was rarely his idea of a fun time, though he was starting to get used to it. This was the third time in as many months he'd gotten himself into this situation, but at least this time he knew he had someone to rescue him. The other two he'd had to get himself out, thankfully he'd been lucky so far and hadn't suffered more than a few scrapes. This time he was dealing with a lot more people and probably wouldn't be able to get away at all, much less get away unharmed.<p>

"Finally with us again, Hayner? Gotta say, I like you tied up," one of the men asked, the green-eyed stranger about four inches shorter than him.

He glared at the dirty-blond man, unable to vocalize anything around the piece of cloth in his mouth. Struggling against his bonds did him no good either; these people seem to have gotten a good understanding of the art of kidnapping. The other man finally pulled his gag down so he could speak, more interested in hearing him beg for mercy than watching him squirm.

"What's your angle, Harvey? That's your name, right? The others I get, to some extent, but you're not nearly as sociopathic as the rest, why do you do this? You're attractive enough to get laid otherwise, so that's not it either."

"I don't need to explain myself to you, you'll be dead in a few days and no one will even bother to look for you."

"Few days?" He pressed, curious.

"You're by far the hottest person we've managed to kidnap so far, why not play with you for a while? Like you said, no one's going to miss you. If you're good we might even keep you as a pet permanently."

"Gee, thanks, sounds great. Would love to be a communal sex slave indefinitely."

"Do you really have anything better?"

"My dignity and freedom. Don't really like getting restrained and fucked by strangers without a safe word."

"If you play nice we might let you become a normal member of our little group and you can help us find someone else to take in your place."

"I get it now, that's what happened to you. You were a victim, and you got the opportunity to become a perpetrator and took it. Were you their first, or further down the line? Tell me Harvey, how many unsuspecting innocents just like you did they rape and kill since you joined? How many times did you join in?"

His only answer was a sharp slap across the cheek, the other fuming. It was clear he'd hit the nail on the head, and he found this an interesting turn to document in the interests of his project. Perhaps an extreme case of Stockholm syndrome, or just self-preservation that drove victim involvement in further victimization of others. Seifer would probably find it amusing that he was analyzing his captor while tied up and at their mercy. Speaking of, he could hear a door coming off its hinges and gunshots, so he supposed his savior was here.

"I sorta lied about the no one looking for me bit, you have a very angry detective on a war path to me right now, I'd get out of the way if I were you."

Harvey pulled a gun and yanked him to his feet, pressing the metal to his temple and backing toward a window. The blue-eyed cop halted in the doorway, raising his hands in temporary surrender, guns held loosely in them.

"Look, you shoot him and you're going to die, slowly. Let him go and I'll let you live," Seifer threatened, pale eyes hard.

"What, so I can rot in prison?"

"If I survive and you cooperate, you have a much better chance at a lighter sentence, I assure you," Hayner supplied helpfully, feeling vaguely uninterested in the whole situation. It was a little sad when he couldn't muster much emotion on the topic of his own life.

"Fuck that," Harvey spat, putting the gun instead to his head.

Throwing his weight and managing to knock him over before he could kill himself, Hayner landed hard on his bound arm and he was fairly certain he didn't imagine the cracking sound that followed. Seifer quickly disarmed and knocked out the green-eyed blond, untying his companion's legs and helping him off the floor to get the ropes around his wrists. When he couldn't move his right arm without feeling like he was going to vomit he was fairly certain it was broken.

"Took you long enough, beautiful. Pretty sure I broke my arm saving this stupid prick."

"Guess that means you won't be riding your motorcycle for a while, huh? Just have to stay with me until it heals. You alright otherwise?"

"Yeah, nothing happened. You have anyone coming to collect the unconscious bodies or are we expected to drag them away?"

"I called in for an emergency response team, should be here any minute. Want me to drive you to the hospital? I know you hate riding in ambulances."

"That sounds great, actually, so long as you promise you won't let them find a reason to keep me there overnight."

"I'd help you escape if they did, would feel a lot more comfortable if you were safe at home with me instead of in the care of strangers. Had enough of strangers touching you for a lifetime, personally."

"So possessive, but that's part of what I love about you," he added, smiling at the way the word love made the other start.

"You're going to be the death of me, I'm sure of it," Seifer returned, pulling him in for a kiss.

* * *

><p>In the end it wasn't difficult for the detective to convince him to stay in a more permanent manner, at the very least until he could finish his project and get his masters. Tseng liked him and his previous work enough to hire him as what was best termed professional bait, more technically called expert contact. Several cases he didn't even need to be kidnapped, just bring out the worst behaviors in the people they wanted to expose themselves and beat the shit out of them when they attempted to accost him, albeit one-handed since his arm was in a cast for another two weeks yet. The one time he was overpowered because of his temporary handicap his boyfriend very nearly killed the people that took him. It was cute when he got overprotective.<p>

"Chickadee, where are you?" The man that almost constantly occupied his thoughts called through the apartment, clearly too lazy to just check the rooms Hayner could usually be found in.

"Right here, beautiful, what's up?" He replied, their nicknames for each other something that he'd admittedly grown fond of in the month and a half he'd been here.

"How's your arm doing?" His boyfriend asked before kissing him.

"If anything changed I'd tell you, you insane mother hen. You sounded like you wanted to talk to me about something other than my static state of healing?"

"You left your phone in the car, Roxas called and said he wanted to come see you. Apparently he's worried because it's not like you to stay in the same place for so long. I'm going to guess he has no idea about us, right?" And he had to give the man credit that he didn't sound angry.

"No, he doesn't. The one time I mentioned talking to you the first night in the bar he got so pissed off he didn't speak to me for almost a week. Figured breaking the news that we're dating had to wait until we met up in person and he couldn't just hang up and ignore my calls. You mad I haven't told him? Everyone else knows, even Axel, just not Rox."

"We're not in high school, petty shit like whether every human being you know is aware we're dating really doesn't bother me. Not your fault your best friend is an insufferable brat when it comes to me. You going to tell him before he comes, or just spring it on him?"

"You have to ask? Dumbass wouldn't come if he knew. You know you're looking forward to the look on his face, you sadist."

"Sadist? Only for you, chickadee," the blue-eyed detective replied before shoving him down on the couch, weight settling on top of him immediately after.

Strong hands slid under his shirt and all thoughts of Roxas and anything else that wasn't the man on top of him fled his mind for the night.


	66. Jacket

Actually made a drabble/ficlet entry that's a drabble instead of a fic! Not much to babble about with this one. Longer fic coming up.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>066. Jacket<p>

Fashion wasn't something often discussed or reflected on in Twilight, but anyone who took a few seconds to look around at the citizens could tell that clothing was important to the young people who lived there. Their clothing was unorthodox and incredibly expressive of who they were as people, both who they wanted to pretend to be and who they were behind the mask. Seifer had to look no further than a mirror to know this truth about their town, his jacket and beanie a perfect example of this. He actually had two coats, the one he wore now was sleeveless, the other was a bit larger and had sleeves with red crosses on them. Each was a gift from his two best friends, Fuu and Rai. Raijin had given him the one he wore now, the silver-haired girl had given him its partner.

He never wore the sleeved coat, even in the winter he just wore a sleeved shirt under his normal one; he was saving the other for when he finally stopped wearing his beanie. When he could deal with his scar and the memories that came with it enough to stop hiding it under the black cap. Fuujin understood this and didn't take offense that he never wore it. His friends got him in a way no one else did.

One upside of the way the townspeople dressed was that you could quickly tell what most people were about just by looking at them. He knew the most about Hayner, because he fucking adored the kid under all his aggression toward the other, and also because he happened to be on top of the teen a lot more than everyone else. As such he knew the blond's black shirt and necklace hid the dog tags he always wore under them, a memento of a father he never met. Most people thought his dad was the reason he wore camo too, but they were pretty far off the mark. Hayner wanted to blend into his surroundings, despite being loud and obnoxious outwardly he was a reserved observer of the world around him inwardly. His clothes made him stand out enough that people didn't even notice him.

On his eighteenth birthday Seifer finally wore Fuu's coat, pulling off his beanie and walking through Twilight in the snow until he found his rival and counterpart. The brown-eyed male was sitting on Sunset Hill, a favorite haunt of his of late. Deciding to keep things simple because Hayner was far from stupid, he walked up to the other, pulled the beanie over his spiky hair, and kissed him. The other smirked against his lips and returned the contact.


	67. Drumsticks

Bandfic because it had to happen. Also yet another one where Hayner struggles with depression and suicide because I love giving him problems. Burn it Down and Leave Out All the Rest belong to Linkin Park.

Theme provided by: Pirate

Rating: High T, mentions of suicide but no major character death

* * *

><p>067. Drumsticks<p>

Tapping out a beat with one of Roxas's drumsticks against his notebook, Hayner considered the first few lines of the song he was attempting to write. Like a lot of their recent work it was a duet between him and Seifer, the other singing the more rap-like portion of the lyrics. The brown-eyed singer was good at melodic parts and screaming, and the other lead singer had fucking perfect rhythm. This particular song was about his ex-boyfriend, the guitarist in the band he was in originally. The other cheated on him one too many times and they broke up, and with them the whole damn outfit. So he returned home and helped lift the startup comprised of Axel, Roxas, Olette, and Seifer to a fame he couldn't manage with his first group. The scarred blond had been wary of letting him in, more because of their past and continued animosity toward one another than because he didn't want the share center stage with another singer. They'd gotten better as they toured together more, and seeing how far they'd come in just a year he knew they'd be friends by the end of the next. He loved Seifer too much to go on pretending to hate him for so long.

His ex had gone down like a burning plane when the band failed, blaming Hayner for all his problems and developing a worse drug addiction than he had before. It was easy to write that part of the plot of the song, it was downright cathartic to finally address this issue in a melody. He'd been waiting to write this for a long time really, waiting for the band to make enough money to handle any lawsuits the washed-up guitarist sent his way, and to be distant enough from the issue to not cry about it anymore. As it was he was developing this part of the song for Seifer, the man's staccato delivery perfect for the harsh facts of Hayner's past relationship. He really didn't think he'd manage to sing it without his voice breaking. It was hard to imitate his companion, but he couldn't get a good feel for the lyrics without singing them.

"You told me yes, you held me high, and I believed when you told that lie. I played soldier, you played king, and struck me down when I kissed that ring. You lost that right to hold that crown, I built you up but you let me down. So when you fall, I take my turn, I fan the flames as your blazes burn."

"You sound so weird when you imitate Seif. Those lyrics sound dead on for him though, that about your ex, Hay?" Axel asked, sitting down across from him and pulling his boyfriend's stick out of Hayner's mouth when he began gnawing on it, adding, "Pretty sure this is coated in poison because Roxie hates it when you chew on these."

"Probably is, knowing him. And yeah, it is, about him and the band. Wanna read what I have so far?" He queried just to be polite, knowing the answer before he asked.

"You know I'm gonna wait till you and Seif practice it to know the lyrics. Words on a page mean jack when it comes to music, doesn't sound good until you sing it. So when are you going to write your would-be boyfriend a love song?"

"Seriously Ax, not interested in your matchmaking. Seifer doesn't want to date me, doubt if the guy even wants to fuck me, he's only now getting to the point where he'll talk to me outside of interviews."

"You're both so tragically inept at reading each other. It's not even everyone, you can read others well, but it's like you warp each other's magnetic people-sensing fields or some shit."

"My god how much pot did you smoke, dude?"

"A few hits, you straight-edge rainbow princess, I am just naturally whimsical. When was the last time you got laid, anyway?"

"Over a year ago, asshole. Look, just leave me alone, I want to finish this."

"Pretty sure Seif would at least have sex with you, if not, there are only like a million other hot guys out there that would. Don't you think life would be better if you weren't so sexually frustrated?"

"No, now fuck off."

"Really, it's like fucking magic when you two sing together, I'd be surprised if he didn't have feelings for you. It took a while for you guys to be friendly offstage, but you've never had a problem pouring your souls into each other when you're on."

"Singing is our job, Axel, quit imagining our behavior is any more than that.

"You know, I have a great idea to get Seifer to confess his undying love for you."

"I do not care, please go away," he enunciated carefully, hoping if he said it clearly enough the redhead would get the hint.

Seifer and Roxas chose that moment to walk into the bus, arguing about something like they always were. The two of them got along tenuously, the fragile relationship brought on mostly by Axel's friendship with the stoic man. The green-eyed keyboardist smirked at him and yanked him forward, kissing right in front of his crush and the other's boyfriend. Grunting and shoving him off immediately, he swore and wiped his lips off, standing and stalking off while flipping the other the bird over his shoulder. Fuck Axel and his schemes so much. The worst part was, catching the expression of cold jealousy and rage on Seifer's face told him it might have fucking worked. Goddamn his life.

* * *

><p>Three concerts later after they'd played the new single Burn It Down the first time outside a recording studio he walked in on an apparent band meeting he hadn't been invited to on the tour bus after leaving the hotel to find the others. That everyone stopped talking when he entered the room told him they were trying to keep something from him, and it immediately had him in a bad enough mood to turn on his heel and stalk out. As if Roxas and Axel teaming up to practically force him on Seifer wasn't bad enough, now people were keeping him in the dark too. Running a hand through his gelled-up hair he scowled and jammed his hands in his pockets, listening to the footsteps on the pavement catching up to him.<p>

"Hay, wait! It wasn't what it looked like, we were…" Olette trailed off as she pulled on his arm to spin him around, balking a bit at his expression.

"What, talking about something band-related without me? Yeah, I get it, I'm not one of you and I never will be. Don't have to tell me twice. People change over the course of six years apart and just a year together isn't going to make you guys as close to me as you are to each other, I'm not surprised you guys have moved on from me. Call me when they come up with a way to sever my contract."

"Hayner! Goddamnit you fucking maniac, we're not kicking you out of the band and you are one of us! Pence was just telling us about something unrelated to the band and we happened to be together, and we were surprised when you walked in because you've been holed up in your room until you needed to leave for the past two weeks working on the next album."

It hurt to know she was lying to him, but he could see it in the movements of her bright eyes, "Yeah, sure. Fine, I'm sorry I overreacted, I'm good now. Give this to the guys, will you? I'm going to blow off some steam."

He faked a smile and turned back to walk across the parking lot and into the city proper. It was a bad idea to go out after a concert without a bodyguard, people tended to want a piece of him once they were reminded of who he was. Some were much more violent than others. He heard the brunette sigh behind him and walk away slowly. Most of them understood it was better to leave him alone when he got in a mood, though if they knew half the shit that went through his mind he'd be under surveillance. This was the reason he didn't drink anymore, this creeping dark depression that had followed him around a large portion of his life. It had only gotten worse since he and his boyfriend broke up, Corey had brought out and used the worst of his insecurities and flaws against him until he felt he had little of himself left to be proud of. The man broke everything he touched, and Hayner was no exception. His mental instability and suicidal ideations were the dark secrets he kept from the band, who appeared to be keeping secrets from him as well.

Deciding something was going to give anyway, he asked a fan grilling in his backyard for a beer and the guy looked like Hayner had just given him the moon and autographed it. He ended up with a six pack for the trouble and felt a bit ridiculous walking around the city with it, but it wasn't like he was going to be arrested. The police wouldn't touch him for the small stuff because they didn't want a lawsuit in the event he hit his head or some shit. It was a good day to dick around and avoid the people that were pissing him off lately.

* * *

><p>He knew when he got a text from the drummer of his last band that it was bad news. Likely outright terrible, if any of them were deigning to speak to him. They hadn't left on good terms, the lot largely believing it was the fault of his and Corey's relationship that they'd lost their fame and fortunes. Incredibly shallow assholes, to put it simply.<p>

-_I'm guessing they haven't told you about Corey, since the news is keeping quiet about it too. He killed himself, Hayner. Right after you sung that fucking single you wrote all about him, and us. Left a note telling us to tell you he's sorry for hurting you, and fucking shot himself in the goddamn head. His little sister found him, you self-serving prick. So, thanks for killing your ex-boyfriend, you're a real class act, you know that?-_

He felt so numb that he could barely pretend for the people around him at the after-concert part that he was fine, pulling up the news to find that yes, the guitarist was confirmed dead of a self-inflicted bullet wound as of the night before he found everyone in a meeting. They'd known he'd driven his lover of five years to suicide and were attempting to hide it from him for as long as possible. Some had good intentions, he knew that, but it fucking hurt. It hurt to know Corey was dead, to know it was his fault for making a fucking song calling the other out when he was in a much worse place than Hayner, and it hurt that no one saw fit to tell him and attempt to help him through instead of hiding it so they could ensure he did more concerts without being distracted.

Giving the roadie in charge of the drinks a smile, he snaked a two-thirds full bottle of whiskey off the table and slipped out of the party without being noticed. This was going to end very badly for everyone and he didn't even have the strength to stop it. Once he made it to the roof of the ten-story hotel he sat against the lip of the roof and took a swig of the burning liquid. He considered his phone for several minutes before deciding someone should know, and that someone should be the man he loved more than anything. The scarred singer had been an ache in his heart for the entire time he was with Corey and long before that, and maybe that was part of the reason they were doomed from the start; he was always in love with someone else.

He set his phone to record his voice so he could send a message to Seifer, hoping the other both did and didn't ever listen to it. It was a song he'd written months ago in the depths of a deep depression, alone in a hotel room while everyone else was partying or fucking their significant others. He'd never given it to the band because it was essentially a poetically worded suicide note.

"I dreamed I was missing, you were so scared. But no one would listen, 'cause no one else cared. After my dreaming, I woke with this fear: what am I leaving when I'm done here? So if you're asking me I want you to know: when my time comes forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. And don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest. Don't be afraid, I've taken my beating. I've shed but I'm me. I'm strong on the surface, not all the way through. I've never been perfect, but neither have you.

"So if you're asking me I want you to know: when my time comes forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. And don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest. Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well, pretending someone else can come and save me from myself, I can't be who you are. When my time comes forget the wrong that I've done, help me leave behind some reasons to be missed. Don't resent me, and when you're feeling empty keep me in your memory, leave out all the rest, leave out all the rest. Forgetting all the hurt inside you've learned to hide so well, pretending someone else can come and save me from myself, I can't be who you are. I can't be who you are.

"I'm sorry Seif, I can't…I can't go on knowing my music killed someone. I don't think I can get my heart back into this, and my fans deserve better. It's best if I go out while they still have some respect for me. Say goodbye to everyone for me. And Seifer? I love you."

He stopped recording and wiped away some of the tears at the corners of his eyes before attaching the sound clip to a text and sending it. Drinking more of the whiskey, he decided he had at least long enough for that clip to play before the other found him, likely closer to ten minutes when he considered how long it would be before Seifer even looked at the text, and how long it would be until the other found him. Letting the smooth, burning liquid roll down the back of his throat, he let five minutes pass because maybe it felt wrong to not even give the man with ice-colored eyes a chance to reply. He got a text from the other, somehow finding the strength to read it.

-_God please don't kill yourself Hay, Corey will never be worth half of what you are. Don't let him hurt you and drag you down any more than he already has. I love you, dammit, I can't lose you to the ghost of your ex.-_

He considered the other's words for a moment before standing and stepping onto the ledge, looking down at the city below. It was late as hell but there were still several cars out, their bright taillights painting the roads in sharp relief.

"Hayner! Please don't do this to me, please," the other outright begged as he shoved the door open, panting from the jog up the stairs to the roof.

"You know Seif, the news always says people who kill themselves by falling off tall structures jumped to their deaths, but the truth is, no one jumps. One way or another, they're pushed off the edge by something beyond their control," he replied with his back to the man before stepping off.

The other blond ran considerably faster than he thought, yanking him by the back of his shirt out of freefall and flinging him onto the hard concrete of the roof. It hurt, though not as much as hitting the street below would have, he supposed. Seifer pressed their lips together, straddling the younger singer to pin him down, and it shocked him to discover that the scarred man was crying.

"Goddamn it Hayner, why would you do that to me? How the fuck could you jump right in front of me?"

"Figured you'd catch me, and if not, you'd get over it," he answered simply, not expecting to be punched for it.

"Get over it? You are such a fucking idiot, _I love you_. I'm not going to just get over you killing yourself over an asshole you used to date not being able to handle the reality of all the harm he's done. Just because he broke you doesn't mean he gets to end you as well."

Unable to think of anything to say, he just looked to the side to avoid making eye contact. It was impossible to watch the other cry over him, it physically ached in his chest. The last time he'd seen Seifer cry was at the funeral of his adoptive father, the guy who basically raised him and never gave up on him despite all his destructive tendencies. To know this had caused the other as much pain sucked immeasurably. Fuck his life and his attempts to end it.

"I already called 911, they should be here soon. You need to go to the hospital, and you seriously need to get medicated for your depression. Don't care if your writing suffers, I'd rather have a crappy songwriter than a dead lead singer. Can't do this without you."

"You really, really could actually. Not hard to replace a voice like mine, Seif."

"Could never replace you, you're the only reason I can put my heart into this band. I never sung as well by myself as I do when you're with me. You…bring out the best in me, in all of me."

This last admission essentially brought his world crashing down around him, because something about that was bigger than a basic declaration of love, more meaningful. The other wanted to be a better singer and a better person because of how Hayner made him feel, and that was way deeper than some crush. Closing his eyes, he felt a mixture of stupid for wanting to kill himself, while at the same time wishing he'd succeeded because he didn't want to deal with anything.

"I'm a miserable excuse for a human being."

"No, you're not. You're not perfect, but if humans weren't flawed there'd be nothing beautiful about us. I'm glad you're the way you are, I just don't want you to be depressed like this anymore. Not ready to pull you out of the air again, my heart can't take that shit, asshole."

"You're stronger than I could ever hope to be, you know."

"No Hayner, I'm really not, I just haven't been hurt as badly as you. Let's go down, okay?" He asked before lifting the smaller man into his arms and carrying him toward the door.

Curled against his chest he felt small and weak in comparison, but at the same time he knew he wasn't. If he really did want to kill himself, had really shattered under the pressure of everything, he wouldn't have left Seifer a message or a window of time that allowed the other to stop him. He just wanted to be saved because he didn't have the strength to save himself. Seifer had always been that someone else, he just needed to realize it to do anything.


	68. Slave

Look at me managing to make this non-sexual. Next one may take me a while like this one did, sorry for the delay guys.

Prompted provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>068. Slave<p>

On a purely intellectual level he knew that enemy soldiers were enslaved and forced to serve civilian and military masters until they were killed by their owners, but he never really understood how terrible a practice it was until he was the victim of it. His company of Leosian soldiers had been ambushed in the night and he'd been the only one alive when the commander ordered them to stop. After being identified as the captain of the squad he was allowed to live, apparently a good enough prize to serve more purpose as a captive than a dead body. It was downright humiliating to be dragged into the city in chains, but he supposed it was better than being dead. At least this way he had the opportunity to escape.

He ended up as the slave of a noble family by the name of Dincht that were major suppliers for the army and had a few sons as ranking soldiers in it as well. The youngest was an oddball by the name of Hayner, and refused to take part in or even celebrate anything that had to do with the war. All this he picked up by listening in to the conversations of the help and family members that didn't realize he was fluent in their language enough to understand them. They thought he had only been taught the simplest commands, but he was a noble's son as well and as such was likely better with their language than they were.

Things went along smoothly until the second youngest brother ordered him to play chess, and when he won the other blond reacted poorly. The man flipped the board and punched him in the chin, drawing blood from his lip. Knowing he'd be killed if he fought back, he simply sat and waited for the next blow, the other too weak to do any serious damage to a hardened soldier like Seifer. The next blow broke his nose and it was a minor irritation at best, his interest drawn instead by a shout from the other end of the room, the brown-eyed Hayner crossing the distance between him and his sibling and catching his fist.

"You're a fucking child, Rael. It's bad enough you play games of strategy against people far more competent at them than you and throw a fit when you lose, but to hit someone that can't strike back? Leave Seifer alone," he spat, decking the other when he seemed reluctant to comply.

Dragging the older man by his shirt, Hayner threw him through the threshold and slammed the door shut behind him, swearing. Sighing, he turned back to the scarred man and walked over to him cautiously, as if trying to get a read on the captured soldier. Curious as to why anyone would stand up for him, he merely cocked his head to the side questioningly.

"I know you can speak my language, but it's probably best we converse in yours if we don't want the others to understand us. If you want to talk, of course. My name is Hayner, it's nice to meet you," he said in Leosian, accent more natural in Seifer's language than his own.

"You've spent time in Leos, correct?" The older of the two asked, knowing he was being rude.

"I studied there for eight years before the war started. It's only been a year, I'd imagine I still have the accent. Do you know Olette, Pence, and Roxas? They're my best friends."

"You mean the crown Princess, her soon-to-be-husband and the first-born son of the most influential noble in Leos? Yeah, I've heard of them," he replied with heavy sarcasm, "My last name is Almasy, I'd imagine you're familiar?"

"Yes, a lineage of extremely skilled warriors that earned their place among the nobles by virtue of winning important battles and having their status advanced as a result. It's no wonder you survived the ambush. I'm sorry, about all of this. If I were to offer you a plan of escape, would you be willing to follow my instructions?"

"So long as I were given the opportunity to return the favor at some point, I think my pride could handle it," he answered, wondering why the hell anyone would be willing to help a slave escape.

"I'll free you tomorrow night, finding your way out of the city and back across the border will be up to you. In return, if you happen to conquer Shios, make sure they don't kill me? I suppose it's presumptive to think my friends would help me, but I doubt they'd leave me as a slave."

"If they would not accept you as equal into their homes, I would. You're much nobler than your brothers, no pun intended."

"Thanks, it means a lot that you'd be willing to help me. Since we're keeping secrets from everyone anyway, let me…" He trailed off with a look of concentration, holding his hand up to Seifer's face as green and white tendrils coiled out of it.

The pain in his face abated and he could feel his wounds knitting together, nose righting itself like it had never been broken in the first place. Not only was this enigmatic young man a kind and honorable person, but he could use healing magic, something that was increasingly rare now that the reigning religion of Shios had decided to denounce magic. No wonder the other had studied for so long in Seifer's country, he was learning how to use his unusual natural talent. Most magic users could cast one or two black magic spells and that was the extent of their ability, white magic was largely considered more difficult because of the strength of character and emotions that had to be present to use it. White magic was fueled by compassion, an emotion much harder to channel than the focused rage that controlled elemental magics.

"My family doesn't know about it, as far as they're concerned I studied in Leos to learn politics."

"Thank you. Why are you helping me, Hayner?"

"It's the right thing to do, I don't really expect you to make good on your favor to me, don't feel obligated to. It's a disgusting practice, slavery, and I'll do anything in my power to stop it where I can. I hope 'Lette makes good on her wish to end it in Leos, would make it a better place to live."

"I can agree with you on that. What do I need to do to escape?"

"I'll undo your bonds and unlock any doors in your path, all you really need to do is find your way out quietly and speak to no one about this until you're back home. The biggest thing I have to ask from you is for you to trust me."

Though the other's eyes were dark and somewhat elusive when he tried to meet them, he knew it was because the other was frightened and shy, was doing something that could get him killed for a complete stranger that could turn on him. It wasn't easy to place that much trust in someone, and he could at the very least return the man's belief in him in kind.

"I do trust you. Why don't you come with me?"

"I wish I could, but I need to stay here to lead them astray of they want to come after you. It would also be hard for me to get out of the city unnoticed. You have a better chance if you leave me behind."

"I'll just have to come back for you then, when we take the city. Not because you asked, but because I want to."

He was more than intrigued by the sandy-blond with spiked-up hair, he would go so far as to say he was attracted to the man. It was probably bad this person was trying to save his life and all he could think about was kidnapping them, taking them home, and tying them to the bed for a very long time. Though there was no indication that Hayner was necessarily against the idea, he supposed he'd just have to find out later if they both lived.

* * *

><p>To say he was worried about the lithe blond that had freed him and facilitated his return to the very army that was about to lay siege to his home was an understatement. He'd already told the other captains to watch out for the man and take him off the battlefield if they could, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't be seriously injured or killed by an uninformed grunt. They had to move clear across the city to get to the family's home, there was a good chance another squad would get there first and clear the house out. He'd just have to cut his way there faster than everyone else.<p>

The gates to the city were opened by spies that had infiltrated the guards and they spilled in, dispatching the enemy soldiers in an orderly fashion. They weren't expecting them, the group of ten squads having gathered in the darkness of the new moon without the aid of torches to remain undetected. The thunder from the coming storm served to disguise their movements as well, and prevent the other soldiers in the town from getting an early warning of their arrival. It was dirty and underhanded, but their enemies had committed worse atrocities. Sometimes you had to take the low road.

The sky opened up, liquefying the paths and impeding their progress. Running the soldier in front of him through, he snarled and watched as a flanking squadron pushed further into the city, the battle becoming less about winning the city and the war and more about rescuing the young man that risked his life to let him go free. His priorities were pretty fucked. Lightning arced through the sky as he finally came up on Hayner's family home, finding the sandy-blond in the mud with a sword at his throat, surrounded by soldiers. Swearing, he broke into a run until he was close enough to aim a shot at the soldier that had a hand fisted in the blond's hair to hold him still.

"Let him go or die, you miserable fuck. Attacking an unarmed civilian and you call yourself a soldier?" He shouted, finding it hard not to just shoot the man in the head and be done with it.

"Captain Almasy? Uh, of course Sir."

He stepped away from the kneeling noble obediently, Seifer sheathing Hyperion and driving his fist into the errant fighter's face for good measure. There was blood dripping from a wound at Hayner's temple, he could guess the brown-eyed man had been stunned inside the house and dragged out. Why they would was beyond him, but he never claimed the bottom ranks were intelligent or honorable.

"You came after all, Seifer," he stated, dark eyes meeting his.

"Of course I did, Hayner. You alright?" He asked, pulling the other out of the mud.

"Better than you. Did you even notice your leg is bleeding?"

Glancing down he belatedly realized a fighter with a lance had cut open his thigh while he was pushing through, the ache only now starting to penetrate his consciousness. The shorter noble healed it immediately, shocking another squad captain that was walking up to them, likely to see why Seifer had punched one of his foot soldiers.

"Almasy, please explain to me why you stopped my man from killing this Shios noble."

"Hayner freed me when I was held captive here a month ago. I owe him my life, and I'd trust him with it again if necessary. I was merely returning the favor by saving him from this idiot who thinks it's okay to attack people who are unarmed. Hayner's coming back with me, and if you've got a problem with that you can take it up with Princess Olette."

"If he'll help heal our wounded he can go wherever the hell he wants as far as I'm concerned."

"I'll help in any way I can, so long as no one else tries to kill me."

"Raigner, since you've had the consequences of threatening Hayner clearly illustrated to you, I leave it to you and three others to escort him through the city to heal our comrades. Seifer, you and what's left of your group, with me to clear out the rest of the noble sector."

Hayner nodded at him and flashed a small smile before turning to the other soldiers and following them. It was hard to watch him go after nearly losing him once tonight, but they both had work to do. He would be happy when this was over and he could take the spiky-haired man home with him and talk to him for more than a few minutes at a time. Trying to pull his focus back together, he returning to slashing and shooting at anyone that opposed him.

* * *

><p>Arriving at the temporary camp set up in the massive castle courtyard exhausted and covered in blood, he was ready to fall into whatever kind of beds they had set up and sleep for a very long time. His top priority for the moment was far from that, he knew he needed to find Hayner and make sure nothing else had happened to him. He'd made a promise to himself that he'd see the lithe foreigner safely to Leos and even though he knew his insatiable want to spend time with him was irrational it didn't dampen the feeling whatsoever. There was just something about the strange blond magic-user.<p>

"Captain Almasy! I was told to find you, Hayner collapsed from exhaustion in the medical tent, Raigner said you'd want to know. He's okay, just unconscious," a soldier informed him as he trotted toward his superior, adding the last part at the scarred man's worried look.

"Take me to him," he ordered, fully aware that if his rank didn't frighten the man into obedience his demeanor would.

They had set Hayner in the corner to keep him out of the way, and at some point had convinced him to stop healing long enough to change into a standard soldier's uniform without the plate armor. Probably because he was covered in mud and to avoid further confusion as to which side he was on. Lifting him into his arms, he turned back to exit the tent and find his quarters, wherever they happened to be for the moment. Raigner appeared suddenly to lead him there, his broken nose having been healed at some point. Most likely by Hayner, the younger man seemed incredibly magnanimous.

"For now the squad captains are taking up residence in the barracks wing of the castle. We'll be leaving at noon tomorrow when the main army should arrive to occupy the city," the rank and file soldier told him, flinching when Seifer brushed past him in the doorway to the aforementioned living quarters.

"Welcome back, Almasy. It's good for us you rescued your friend there, he saved the lives of at least a dozen mortally wounded soldiers before he passed out."

"Nice of him considering one of ours tried to kill him and if anything we owed him a favor. Did any of the soldiers with him recover his personal affects?"

"His horse and what little items he had, mostly literature on magic. Apparently the majority of his things were left behind in the care of his friends in our land, the Princess primarily since she has an entire castle to store his things. He was the sole pupil worthy of being taught healing magic by the Queen herself."

"_Aerith_ taught him magic? The Queen spent time teaching him healing magic?" He returned, shocked.

"Another reason it's good he survived, I just received a letter from her ordering his safe return. The messenger was killed by enemy scouts and another had to be sent, otherwise it would have arrived two days ago. I'd imagine Queen Aerith will be very grateful for your intervention."

"Could care less, if she had given a direct order to kill him I would have ignored it, I owe him more than I'll ever owe her."

"Forgot, your parents were both knights. A life debt transcends all loyalties, right?"

"Absolutely. Suppose it's good he didn't have any untoward intentions."

"He's definitely an odd bird in that respect; his entire family are cutthroat politicians. Only worthwhile one out of the bunch it seems."

"Mind if you show me someplace to set him down? Worried we're going to wake him up, it's a long ride back and he'll need the rest."

"Of course. The same goes for you, Almasy. The grunts are handling the watch, go to sleep."

"Don't need to be told twice," he acquiesced, all too happy to follow the other captain's advice and make his way over to the bunks he was pointed to.

Setting his charge down on a bunk and undressing him enough that he wouldn't wake up sore, he considered the bunk above it before sliding in next to the lithe blond. This was the military; anyone who had a problem was of the same rank as him or lower so they'd keep it to their fucking selves. He was too tired to worry about it and didn't want Hayner to wake up alone surrounded by complete strangers besides. Closing his eyes, he lost consciousness before he even had time to let his mind wander.

* * *

><p>"Seifer? We're getting ready to go, you should wake up."<p>

Forcing his eyes open against the exhaustion that made him want to sleep several more hours, he blinked up at the other before pushing himself into a sitting position so they were eye-level. The brown-eyed man smiled at him shyly and he got out of the bunk, smirking back. Hayner slid to the edge so he could pull on the boots and belts the scarred noble had removed from him the night before, Seifer putting on the belt that held Hyperion in its sheath. Walking out of the barracks together, they joined the main force and eventually saddled their horses and fell in line with the front guard. Their tactician formally turned over control of the city to the army that met them at the gates and they rode hard for their own country, the infantry marching far behind them. They'd probably be a day behind by the time they got to the castle proper, but the time it would take to report to every official in charge of the war effort and get their horses put up would take up around the same amount of time.

"So you were trained by the Queen and just forgot to mention?" The man with ice-colored eyes asked while they watered their horses by a stream.

"Oh, yeah. Suppose that would have been an important detail. After training under her for six years I guess I stopped thinking of her as a queen and more as a mentor. She's very kind."

"Only spoken to her twice in my life, but I would have to agree. I'm surprised she didn't continue to attempt to negotiate with Shios. They did commit an act of war while pretending to form a treaty, but she doesn't seem the type to want to fight in any situation."

"She feared a lack of military action would make her look weak and Shios would mount a full attack on the capital and kill thousands. Peace is an ideal, rarely the reality."

"That's true of many things, what we want isn't what is. What happened to your family?"

"They were killed when they attempted to attack the soldiers entering the house. Can't say I'm happy because they were my blood, but I'm not crushed over their deaths. Never thought very highly of me, and I honestly think they had hoped I never returned when I left to study. I didn't want to, but in the end I'm glad I did."

"Why's that?" He pressed as he mounted his horse again.

"'Cause I was able to help you, obviously. We probably never would have met otherwise."

"And I would have been a slave for another month, at least. I'm glad you came back to Shios as well, mostly because we met," he explained, the other blushing and looking away.

"Seifer, Hayner, scout ahead would you? We're just about to cross the border and I'd rather not ride into a trap."

"Got it sir," he replied automatically to the tactician, glancing to his counterpart.

"Bet Lydia can outpace your stallion in the woods, Seifer," he challenged the captain, gesturing to his black mare, her slender legs lending themselves to speed more than his steed's massive body; the stallion was bred to be a warhorse and was thick with muscles to smash helmets in and carry two riders or heavy armor.

"Doubt it, she's too delicate to handle heavy terrain," he returned before guiding them off the dirt road they were following and checking to see that the other was ready before kicking his horse, Falk, into a run.

It had never occurred to him that the other was a fantastic rider, imagining Hayner as more of a indoors sort of person, but he definitely knew what he was doing in the saddle. As much as Falk wanted to follow his fellow equine, he couldn't keep up past a mile and the sandy-blond reigned in Lydia so they could catch up, smirking arrogantly. He really wanted to tackle the other and kiss that smug look off his face.

"So, Seifer, are you married?" He asked quietly as they continued to creep up to the border at a trot, attempting to be as silent as they could on massive quadrupeds.

"Nope. Not betrothed either, nor courting anyone. I'd imagine the same of you?"

"Same, for which I'm glad."

"Why's that? Don't like people making decisions for you, or aren't interested in women?" He dared, knowing by the way the other's pretty eyes widened that he was right.

"You're sharp. The latter."

He hummed, "Likewise. Most noble women are trained to be soft and breakable, and the ones that aren't I respect too much to want them as anything but a friend or a comrade in arms."

"I'm going to chance offending you and say that you offering lodging wasn't an entirely innocent gesture."

"No, it wasn't. You're interesting, I'd like to learn more about you."

"And do other things, I'm guessing," he returned evenly, glancing at the scarred man coyly.

Growling, he'd had enough of being teased by the smaller noble, pushing his horse closer until their legs brushed. Grabbing the other by the front of his uniform he pulled him forward and pressed their lips together, happy to finally have this in the open. Swiping his tongue across the other's bottom lip before pushing it into his mouth, he wondered just how adverse the other would be to the idea of following through with his thought of tying the other to the bed when they got home. He supposed he'd just have to see.


	69. Kinky

So you didn't actually think I'd let 069 pass without writing unrepentant smut, did you? Sorry it took me so long, I was working on other projects and this one kept giving me writer's block.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: Hard M, smut.

* * *

><p>069. Kinky<p>

His mom would probably kill him if she ever found out. Actually, so would his friends, now that he thought of it. He knew it wasn't the best idea, but this running bet or whatever you could call it he had with Seifer worked out just fine for the two of them. It had never occurred to them that aggression wasn't the only way to deal with their sexual tension, mixing sex with violence worked pretty damn well too. Thus began their practice of post-fight messing around that had been going on for two months now; whoever won dictated precisely what happened, within reason. They had kept it mostly to oral and handjobs because neither were quite ready to deal with the implications of going all the way yet. It was dirty, inappropriate, often involved blood, but it was theirs and fuck everyone else.

"Chickadee," Seifer addressed him, using the nickname he only ever spoke in private as he walked up to the smaller teen.

"Seif," he answered just before being silenced by the other's lips, the taller male pressing him up against the tree.

They had met in the forest, at a large tree out of sight of both those entering from the hole in the wall, and of the people going to investigate the mansion on some stupid dare. This was their usual place for these kinds of activities if they didn't arrange to meet in one of their rooms after dark.

"So you said last time that you were going to wait, what the hell do you want?" He asked as soon as he could talk again, more curious than annoyed.

"You're so cute when you're irritated. Put that mouth to better use, and then, I want you to go on a date with me tomorrow night."

"Let me get this straight, you'd give up no-strings-attached sex to actually date me? Why?"

"'Cause I'm in love with you, dumbass."

He blinked, struggling to believe the guy he'd had a crush on for so long actually returned his feelings in more than a purely carnal way. Shoving the other down he pinned his lover to the ground, not in the mood to have his heart toyed with.

"Are you fucking with me? Because if you are, I assure you that I'm never going to speak to you again."

"Not lying, Hay, I've had a thing for you for a while, I just never could figure out if you were interested in me beyond the physical nature of our interactions. I was hoping if I asked you out you'd give me an answer of some sort, which, you haven't."

"Love you too, idiot. Now did you want a blowjob, or not?" He returned easily, knowing damn well he was going to get in over his head with this, and not caring a bit.

"Is that even a question? You mind if we…?" He trailed off, but the other got his meaning.

"You want to sixty-nine here, really?" Hayner asked, glancing at the thick grass and wildflowers around them.

"We can keep our clothes on, why the hell not?"

"Your idea of romance is hilarious," he complained, even though he was already getting hard.

"Quit bitching," the other said as he undid the button and zipper on the smaller blond's pants.

"Why should-" he began before everything he had planned to say turned into a string of curses when his companion grabbed his dick through his boxers.

"So pretty when you start to come apart."

They shifted and anything coherent left his mind the second Seifer's lips wrapped around the head of his member, moving to follow suit entirely on impulse. This was a lot kinkier than the simple acts they usually did, and it was an unusual feeling to have to focus on sucking someone off while getting the same in kind. The fact that someone could potentially find them doing this, that it would be impossible to talk away, kind of turned him on in a way it probably shouldn't have. Choking a bit when Seifer's tongue swirled around his head, he had a feeling neither of them was going to last very long.

Sucking the other down, he smirked a bit when the blue-eyed teen panted against his thigh heavily; quietly he loved making the other helpless. Pulling off and teasing the slit, he moaned as his partner deep-throated him, struggling to maintain control of his vocal chords and the coiling heat in the pit of his stomach at the same time. Trailing his tongue along the bully's shaft, he gave in just a little bit more to the waves of pleasure rushing through him, once again questioning why the hell they hadn't started this a long time ago.

Pulled out of his brief flashes of thoughts, he yelped when the scarred male nipped at his stomach, hard enough to leave marks. Seifer growled when he sank his teeth into the other teen's thigh in retaliation, because it wouldn't be them if there wasn't a little blood drawn. Rubbing the swelling injury with his thumb, he turned his attentions back to the other's dick, drawing a tiny whine that his lover was probably going to deny until he died, or until Hayner tied him up until he did it again.

The tip of Seifer's tongue flicked the sensitive underside of his head and a low moan around the other's cock was all he could offer in warning as he came hard and fast. Nothing got the other off as much as tearing his brown-eyed apart, so he knew it was a matter of seconds before the teen with ice-colored eyes orgasmed into his mouth. It was hot and bitter on his tongue as he pulled off, breathing hard and so high he was dizzy.

Minutes later found them sitting with their backs against the tree, just starting to come down and to terms with whatever just shifted between them. Seifer pulled him by the front of his vest into a deep kiss, warm and calm. Moving to sit in his lap, he threaded his fingers through the other's soft, pale hair and decided to just welcome change as it came. The sex was good, they loved each other, and there was no way they could fight any more in a relationship as they did out of it.

"So…second round?" His boyfriend asked suggestively with a smirk, trailing his hands up the lithe teen's back.

"How about in a bed this time?"

"Whatever you want, chickadee."


	70. Flying

This wasn't even supposed to be 070, but it jumped ahead in length of the one I had been working on previously so, here it is. One of those where I had an idea bouncing around in my head and I later picked a theme that matched it. Mostly preslash, and Axel + Seifer banter is just too fun to write.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>070. Flying<p>

He knew this should be a purely drone mission, he knew it in his bones like he knew the controls of every modern flying vehicle known to man, but he had his orders and he wasn't stupid enough to fuck things up by overthinking it. Why they wanted a pilot and two drones to locate and possibly engage enemy jetfighters over a battlefield country they were supporting when they could just as easily let a full group of the unmanned planes do it baffled him, but there was the issue that he was a much better dogfighter than any drone operator and that wasn't likely to change any time soon. The second or so lag between commands and reactions was over twice his slowest reaction time, and that was his first mission.

He caught an unknown on his radar and zeroed in on it in his targeting system, flicking the cover off his anti-aircraft missiles and letting one loose, the standing order to shoot down anything in the sky bigger than an eagle heavy in his mind. The old-model jet exploded into a plume of fire and smoke and plummeted out of the sky. If he was religious he would have sent a prayer for the enemy pilot, as it stood he hoped the other's family would recover, if they had one. Starting when he realized his left wing was taking hits, he veered away and let the drones handle whoever the hell was trying to take him down, assessing the damage to his plane as minimal. Something he'd get bitched at for when he got home, but nothing that would prevent him from kicking ass while he was here.

"Eight bogeys incoming at two, Chickadee," one of the drone operators informed him, the stress in his voice making it sound more like a death sentence than a position report.

"Eight? Goddamn it, try not to get shot down until we're down to one or two, would you?" Hayner swore at them, pissed off that he was sent into a hell of a lot more shit than anyone seemed to have expected.

"Roger that, Chickadee, we're doing our best."

"Radio silence unless you're telling me something important, got it?"

"Roger," they said one after the other before breaking out of formation to pursue the enemy combatants.

Combined they managed to down four of the other jets before the drones were both taken out by a single fighter, idiots had been flying too close together. Sighing, he rolled his plane into a dive and struck the offender down with a few bullets through the cockpit, blood splattering on the broken glass as the craft tumbled out of the sky.

"Chickadee-"

"I fucking know you assholes went down, thanks. Just so you know, you are terrible operators and if I die it will be entirely your fault," he cut them off, the fact that it was now a four-to-one fight settling exceptionally poorly with him.

"You are authorized to eject as soon as you think your life is in danger, Chickadee. If you have to crash, just make sure you're not in the plane when it hits. We'll send a team to rescue you, one of the drones still has a working camera so we'll know where you land regardless of whether you're conscious to use your beacon or not," his commander said over the line, voice typically calm.

"Got it, Sir, I'll try to take as many down as I can. Chickadee, going silent."

It wasn't an ideal situation, but at least he knew he was allowed to live through it. Some missions he either had to stay airborne or go down with the plane to avoid capture and he didn't need the added anxiety of knowing he either needed to succeed or die trying in this situation. Shooting down the first of his four targets after barrel-rolling out of the way of another's fire, he took a breath and sent his plane into a straight climb. No doubt the people watching him were wondering what the fuck he was doing, but at least they were being quiet about it. Idly he wondered who would be sent to retrieve him if he did go down; would that be a Navy Seal thing or a Marines thing? Or, hell, spec ops, this was a classified mission after all.

The tip of his right wing was sheared off by a barrage of bullets from the fighters below him, making it that much more difficult to control his jet as he climbed out of the safe zone for planes, essentially breaking the terms of dogfighting and nearing the point where he'd break his craft, too. Smirking, he rolled just before he stalled and let the multi-million dollar investment begin its uncontrolled descent toward the ground, shooting the engines of two of the enemy fighters and the cockpit of the last from his vantage point looking down at them. Unfortunately, one of them got off enough shots to weaken his already-damaged left wing badly enough that it tore away from the jet from the g-forces.

"You're insane, but that seems to have been the last of them."

"Still gonna crash, sorry Sir," he said shortly, attempting to aim the craft for somewhere that wouldn't be populated before ejecting into the sky and watching it twirl away like a broken ballerina.

Activating the beacon that would help the military find him again, he sighed and hoped it wouldn't be a hard landing into the thick jungle, and that no panthers found it in themselves to take him down. At least if he survived he could probably ask for some time off, nearly getting killed and still saving the operation and all.

* * *

><p>"Team eight, you're up. Pilot went down over a jungle in Africa two hours ago and you need to find him and bring him home. Answers to Chickadee, has the usual combat and survival training so barring capture by the enemy he should be camped out somewhere in the wilderness. Grab him, find an open space, and radio for a helo."<p>

"Why is his codename Chickadee?" Seifer asked, curious as to who the hell would take that as their call name in the air force and having the sinking feeling he knew.

"Actually, we were going to send team seven because both of you know the pilot, but Cloud and Zack were needed for an assignment in South America. In fact, you gave him his codename, Almasy, he said he picked it because you called him that sometimes. Name is Hayner Dincht, the best solo-mission flier the chair force has to offer. I don't really give a shit what your relationship with him was before, put all your childhood grudge bullshit aside if you have it and bring me back that pilot."

"Understood, Sir," Axel supplied for him helpfully, the blond man lost in thoughts of what might have already happened to his childhood rival.

"C'mon, Seif, I'm sure the little brat is fine, they don't let people fly classified missions unless they're damn capable of handling themselves," the redhead reassured him as they geared up to board the transport that would drop them in the area.

"Yeah, but by now they could have followed the beacon's signal and killed him, or worse," he added, avoiding a shudder at thoughts of the one time he was captured for two days before he was rescued; it wasn't something he ever wanted to relive, or would wish on anyone else.

"Worrying about it won't make it better. Hey, maybe if he is alive you could use the opportunity of rescuing him to sweep him off his feet. I know you still have a thing for him."

"Gods Axel, there are more important things than me boning my high school crush, _seriously_."

"Just saying, you'd be passing up a perfect opening. But then, what's the air force's policy on crashing their jets? He might be court martialed for it, suppose that would throw a wrench in your dating plans."

"If Hayner went down I really, really doubt it's his fault. More likely that they'll give him a medal than a sentence."

"Is that hero-worship I hear? You've got it bad considering you haven't seen the guy in five years."

"Has it really been that long since we enlisted? Shit," he muttered, rubbing his scar absently like he always did when he was stressed before a mission.

"Quit that, Seif, makes me nervous when you're worried about something, you're practically invulnerable."

"Keep telling you Ax, I'm just as mortal as everyone else, I just don't give up as easily."

"Says the guy who was shot six times and still managed to walk to the evac."

"They were non-fatal wounds and I shot myself up with epinephrine, we are not arguing about this again."

"You're right, we have a hot pilot to rescue."

Rolling his eyes at his partner, he followed the spiky-haired man into the aircraft, sitting down on one of the benches on the side and closing his eyes.

* * *

><p>From his vantage point in the trees he could hear at least one person approaching, pulling out his knife and moving to a place where he could jump down on them. Doing so ended up with his arms twisted behind his back and chest pressed hard against a tree trunk. It took a second to recognize that someone had said his name, breath hot on his neck, and that he knew the person very well.<p>

"Fucking hell, Seifer, what are you doing here?" He huffed once the other had let him go so he could turn around.

"Ax and I are here to rescue you, dumbass. Come on, not interested in spending any more time here than I have to."

"Not going to disagree, this place is hellish."

It didn't escape his notice that Seifer still had a hand on his side, where it had fallen after he'd stopped restraining the smaller blond. Maybe things between them weren't as cold as he'd originally thought. Smiling, he let the other drag him through the foliage by the hand as if he might lose the pilot if he didn't have a hold of him. Axel was indeed there, mess of red hair hidden under a camo hair scarf, if possible making him look more like a bandit than he did normally.

Seifer radioed ahead for an evac and he knew something was wrong as soon as they arrived, bullets going off in the direction of the hovering helicopter. The other two pulled out their handguns and the blue-eyed man turned to him briefly.

"Hay, you need to run as far as you can in the opposite direction, and shut off your beacon if you haven't already. We'll catch up to you if we can take these guys down, if not, wait a day and someone else will come."

If he honestly thought the youngest of them wasn't going to go after and try to retrieve them if they were captured, he was a fucking moron. To avoid a fight he didn't voice this, however, and simply took off deeper into the jungle, graceful enough to manage not to trip on the multitude of vines and roots peppering the ground. An explosion sent birds fleeing from the trees for miles around and he had to assume everyone was either dead or captured that was on or near the helo. At the very least he knew where the enemy's main base was, seeing it during his doomed flight. With some minor extrapolation he could figure out where they were from the ground and hopefully rescue the two spec ops idiots that had come to save him in the first place.

* * *

><p>"Seif. Seif? Seifer, wake the fuck up."<p>

Dragging himself out of the haze of a traumatic head injury and whatever they'd put into his system to keep him sedated, he looked around at a crude jail cell, aware Axel was somewhere behind him, probably in the next one over. Most of these organizations never caught on that you really need to place prisoners out of speaking distance of one another.

"I'm conscious, you alright, Axel?"

"We've been captured, and I'm bleeding, so no, I'm not okay. Are you bleeding? Because I am definitely bleeding on the floor right now and I'd be offended if you weren't."

"Good to know your sense of humor is holding up. I'm…yeah, I appear to be shot in the leg. Awesome."

"I'm going to have to carry your ass? Do you have any idea how much you weigh? Getting shot in the leg, you would."

"Actually, no, it's been a while since my last physical. I'm going to guess over two-hundred, and at least fifty more than you, you scrawny bastard."

"Some of us aren't meant to be huge, Seifer. Just because you work out the majority of your life doesn't mean anyone else wants to."

"So, are you devising a plan, or are we honestly just making witty banter until they decide to kill us? That is a terrible plan, if that is what you were going for."

"Think our cute little target will come and try to save us?"

"Definitely, and that's what has me worried."

"I'm sure he can manage that, actually, if he stood up to you in high school he's gotta be made of something stronger than steel."

"I don't want him to get killed trying."

"You kidding, they'd just capture him, he knows way more government secrets than we do and they know he's important enough to get a ransom. If they're keeping us alive in the hopes of torturing us for intel or exchanging us for prisoners, they'll definitely use kid gloves with him."

If he wasn't sure their captors already knew all of this, he'd be annoyed that the other was giving them a reason to take Hayner at any cost, "If they're going to torture him, would rather they just killed him. I don't know how long it'll take the others to find us."

"He's tough, he'd recover. Know what you mean, but if he's alive you can always try to fix him."

"Breaking people has always been my strong suit, not the other way around, Ax."

"Sure, but he's special and you know it."

"How long do you think we've been out?" He asked, attempting to turn the conversation to something more constructive.

"Three hours, maybe four. Come to think of it, in the amount of time we've been unconscious they could have already hunted down and captured our little Chickadee."

"You are being fucking depressing."

"Look at you, all emotionally involved and shit. My god you're just adorable."

"Please die in a fire of your own creation immediately."

"You love me, you know you'd miss me."

"I guess I-" He stopped, interrupted by the unmistakable sound of catastrophic structural damage being done above them, the foundation shivering.

"Either they like destroying their own shit or Hay stole something much larger than a pistol from our dear enemies," the green-eyed man stated obviously, sounding like he was standing up.

"I'm going to pick this and get you out, alright? We have enough of a distraction that I don't think they'll notice me."

"Go for it."

It took twenty minutes, which either meant the locks were junk or Axel got particularly lucky, and the redhead disappeared for a few minutes before returning with two guns and an actual key. There was a still-dripping blood splatter on his arm and hand, explaining how he'd come by the new items. Opening the barred door with ease, he helped his partner to his feet, Seifer swearing and leaning on him heavily until he could come to terms with the pain of walking with a bullet hole in his calf. Easing back off him, they made it up the stairs to the main floor with minimal awkward hobbling purely through virtue of having done this a dozen times.

"You just had to one-up me, you don't even have the courtesy of letting me be the one who lost more blood in the fight, no, it has to be Seifer that's bleeding to death as we speak because he's a dumbshit and reopened his wound."

"I can't help it if I'm a badass and take more hits before I go down than you, no reason to be a jealous bitch about it either."

"At the very least I can be content in the knowledge that you will be confined to a bed at the hospital for a week and unable to have sex with your boyfriend, while I am home with Roxie who will be very happy I'm alive-"

"And might not break a rib when you molest him?"

"You are such an asshole, I don't need to put up with this, I could drop you right now and tell Hayner you died."

"You wouldn't, and he wouldn't believe you either."

"Damn your logic."

Smirking, he blinked in astonishment seconds later when they cleared the shelled-out building and walked into a scene of what could best be described as complete carnage. All of the squat adjacent structures had been similarly shot through until they were barely standing and the whole area was either scorched, still burning, or in the process of being consumed by the fire. A lone Apache was circling the area and occasionally shooting at anything that moved or had the potential to move, the other aircraft out of commission and occasionally exploding when the fires reached their fuel tanks. It swooped over to them, presumably as soon as Hayner saw them.

"Get in the motherfucking helo or I will shoot you, I swear, you have no idea how much this sucked," he yelled once he landed tentatively.

"You can fly this thing?" Axel queried, always asking the important questions that weren't painfully clear already.

"I can fly anything, now shut up, take this medkit, and make sure neither of you die. It's at least two hours to the nearest hospital in this thing and I can't do CPR and fly a helicopter at the same time."

"You're hot when you're bossy," Seifer said to him finally, determining that yes, he was on the verge of blacking out, and therefore anything stupid he said could be swept under the rug later.

"I know. Hang in there, Seif," he answered softly, smiling to himself as he pulled them away from the destruction he'd wrought to rescue them.

* * *

><p>Sighing, he entered the hospital wing where the scarred blond had been confined since the surgery to fix his leg injury. He knew when he took the mission not three hours after they landed that Seifer would be fucking pissed off at him, not even having the courtesy of being there when he came to. It was pretty much a dick move, and he pointed that out and blamed his superior in order to push the importance of giving him a vacation as of immediately before he started making mistakes and causing grievous injuries to his already strained old relationships. When you were in control of building-demolishing missiles and multi-million dollar planes, it was important to be in the right state of mind.<p>

"You know, you can actually say no, especially if you've just come back from a mission where you had to take out nine planes and an entire enemy base by yourself," was the first thing out of the mouth of the man with ice-colored eyes, watching him as he approached.

"Well you were unconscious and Axel was bitchy, so I figured I'd kill some time and come back later," he joked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Guess I can't be mad, I do owe you for saving our asses."

"Not keeping score, you were only there because of me in the first place."

"So, would it be too forward to ask you out on a date in a week?"

"Not really, no, we've known each other for fifteen years, you're not exactly rushing it. Is that when you're out of the hospital?"

"Yeah, assholes insist on keeping me here until they're sure I'm not going to tear open my stitches."

"How self-centered of them," he replied blandly, finding the other's behavior both ridiculous and understandable.

"So, Chickadee?"

"What can I say, you're a hard guy to forget."

"So are you. Pretty handy in a jet too, I've heard. Not sure I believe it though."

"Don't lie, I know you watched the video from the drone."

Seifer just smirked and pulled him in for a kiss. When a male nurse stopped in the door and cleared his throat meaningfully, they were all too happy to flip him off.


	71. Words

I'm terrible at being timely, but I've been making good progress on other projects. This idea has been bouncing around in my head for a bit.

Theme provided by: TigerLilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>071. Words<p>

Hayner wasn't sure how he escaped Twilight Town as it was consumed, but he supposed he should be glad he did. Looking up he saw more people floating down from the sky and he had to assume his friends were among them. Hope, anyway. It quickly became clear that wherever this was, he seemed to remember Roxas mentioning that people tended to end up in Traverse Town or Radiant Garden when the worlds collapsed, it wasn't immune to the Heartless either. He was able to run past the first group of shadows that tried to corner him, but he wasn't so lucky when it came to the Neoshadow that had him pinned in a corner of the purple-ish rocks that surrounded the area.

A white dragon-Heartless flew down and turned the shade to shreds of darkness with its massive talons before landing, tattered wings flowing out around it. It was twice the size of the other Wyverns he'd seen before his home had been destroyed and that along with its albino-like features told him there was something wildly different about this Heartless. It didn't seem to want to kill him, instead creeping closer and making a low noise as if to calm him. Ice-colored eyes blinked at him and he saw a sickeningly familiar scar between them. Feeling faintly like he was going to throw up, he let the monster he was certain he knew by a different name enter his personal space. It…He had something black in his mouth that he seemed to be offering to Hayner, who took it with shaking hands.

It was Seifer's beanie, and he didn't realize he was crying until his tears dripped onto it. His rival and the guy he'd been crushing on for years was a Heartless and as far as he knew there wasn't a fix for that. Wrapping his arms around the beast's thickly-muscled chest, he buried his face into the red and black crest that was so cruelly shaped like a heart. Seifer curled his neck down to rest his head on Hayner's, wings draped around the teen in the best attempt at comfort he could manage in his current form.

"Dammit Seifer, you weren't supposed to lose your heart, you were the only one I was counting on surviving this nightmare."

It felt like a betrayal of everything he knew about the world, and left him with even less hope for his family and friends. If Seifer had been defeated by the Heartless and had his heart taken what chance did anyone else have? Maybe those that didn't make it here would be okay if they managed to restore their worlds, but that was a huge uncertainty that he didn't want to deal with right now; he just wanted everything to be back the way it was.

"Think you can stick with me long enough to find the others? I can't really fight the Heartless the way you can right now," he admitted, already aware of another shadow creeping at the edge of the Maw.

Seifer clearly had other thoughts on the matter, flapping his wings to get airborne and snatching his human companion up in his claws. A few powerful wing beats later and they cleared the rocky confinements completely, headed straight for the heart of the town. It was mildly disconcerting to be flying through the air held on only by his rival turned monster, certain death below. Trust-building exercises sucked.

"How is it that after you became a heartless you got nicer?" He asked, half-heartedly joking, knowing he was mostly talking to himself since Seifer couldn't respond with words.

The wyvern dropped him in the middle of the town, many of the others already there. A man with brown hair and scar that was the exact opposite of Seifer's pointed his gunblade at the Heartless to shoot him down, pausing only when Hayner yelled at him. The man's expression went from annoyed to blank shock, grey eyes watching the white monster circle once before landing behind the sandy-haired teen.

"Seifer…is a Heartless? And still sentient enough to be friendly?"

"You knew him?"

"We used to…before the monsters devoured this world, we grew up together here, he was older than me. When we were sent away, we ended up in different worlds, different ages, even different memories."

It would go a long way to explaining how the blond had been older than this stranger, yet had just turned eighteen before having his heart stolen while this man was at least twenty-five. And why his rival had never mentioned coming from a world consumed by Heartless, or even knowing other worlds were out there until Sora came around.

"Well, either way, there's no telling how long he'll keep his mind before he turns on us, he still has to die," the brunet said with a finality that indicated he wasn't about to listen to reason.

Lacking another option, he grabbed the weapon out of the other's hand by twisting his wrist, a trick he'd learned from the bully. Jumping back, he was surprised when the white Heartless barreled into the leather-clad fighter, knocking him off his feet and preventing him from attacking Hayner. A woman with bright green eyes rushed out from a home nearby, confusion clearly written in her expression.

"What's going on here?" She asked as she helped the other man back to his feet.

"Stupid kid is trying to protect this Heartless because it's what remains of Seifer Almasy, help me with him, would you?"

"Of course, Leon," she replied with a smile, eyes mischievous as she observed the white dragon, "It's lovely to meet you two, you must be Seifer, and you are…?"

"Hayner, ma'am. You're not going to try to kill Seifer too, are you?" He pressed, getting the feeling she was less violent than her companion.

"Please, call me Aerith. And of course not, he's clearly harmless until someone gets the bright idea to attack children, I don't see why he can't stay with us," she said, slanting a meaningful look at Leon.

"He's not allowed in our house, Aerith," the grey-eyed man argued, at least he gave up on trying out outright kill his old acquaintance.

"I wasn't aware you got to make all the decisions without our input, Squall."

It took him a few seconds to find the source of the male voice, someone with spiky blond hair and black clothes leaning against the wall of one of the buildings, finally turning and walking into the area, eyes glowing faintly with their own light. He wasn't sure why Aerith and this man called Leon by two different names, but nothing so far had made sense so he wasn't holding his breath for an explanation.

"Cloud, don't tell me you're willing to let a Heartless-"

"If Aerith thinks he's okay, then I'm inclined to believe her. I'm sure the others would agree with us. If you remember, Sora got turned into a Heartless too, and he never hurt anyone while he was one."

"But that was Sora, not Seifer."

"So because of an old rivalry that was rendered moot when our world was destroyed because this Seifer doesn't even know who you are much less did anything to incite your ire, you think he deserves less of a chance than Sora, who would likely be appalled by your behavior if he was here and not trying to gather the rest of Hayner's friends?" Aerith asked, arms crossed over her chest and pretty face scrunched in a motherly anger.

The scarred man just shook his head and walked off, clearly washing his hands of the whole ordeal. Not sure what else to do with it, he offered the gunblade he'd snatched to the brunette woman, who smiled at him and took it, holding it at her side.

"I'm sorry about Leon, he can be incredibly cold, but I assure you he means well."

"Not for Seifer he doesn't," he muttered in return.

"He will, whether he wants to or not. Tell me, how did you find Seifer after he lost his heart?"

"He found me, I was being attacked and he rescued me, then picked me up and flew me here. Why do you ask?"

"Well, the only other sentient Heartless we know of is Sora, and he went straight to Kairi because part of his heart was with her. He would have given it to Riku, but at the time he was battling with his own darkness. When Sora met up with Kairi again and she tried to protect him, the part of his heart that was with her resonated with the rest of it and he was returned to normal with his heart intact. So it's possible that when Seifer lost his heart, part of it went to someone else, and if he went to you first that makes you the most likely candidate."

"I have no idea why part of his heart would go to me though, as a human he barely tolerated me."

"Cloud, could you get Hayner inside and show him where he'll be sleeping, I need to speak with Seifer privately," Aerith asked the blond man, the stoic fighter nodding once and grabbing Hayner by the arm to drag him inside when he protested.

"Only thing you need to know is that for all Leon acts like he's the leader, it's really Aerith that calls the shots."

"Sort of like the group's maternal figure, right?"

Cloud just hummed assent and left him in a room that had several sleeping bags, immediately disappearing either deeper into the house or outside. He got the feeling the spiky-haired male was a bit of an enigma, and that leaving him alone was probably the best course of action. Retracing his steps and exploring deeper into the structure got him bitched at by a smoker working on a large computer who he was certain didn't even know he was there and had been complaining pre-emptively in case anyone happened by.

"Merlin, make the door bigger for our guest please," Aerith asked sweetly to a wizened old man in long blue robes, who brandished a wand and made the entrance warp comically until it was large enough for Seifer to walk in through.

He sat against the wall where his Heartless companion migrated to in order to stay out of the way, sighing tiredly and hoping Sora returned soon with all his other friends safe and sound. It didn't take long, at least, the normally bouncy brunet entering the house in a somber mood, keyblade slung over his shoulder. Blood was smeared on the side of his face from one of many cuts, and Riku appeared to be in roughly the same state. Pence and Olette were visibly shaken, but didn't seem to be hurt. Roxas, Axel, Fuu and Rai brought up the rear, the silver-haired girl the most scared he'd ever seen her.

"Hayner, why is there a Heartless in the house?" Sora asked calmly, everyone stiffening and finally noticing Seifer, who did the best impression of a long-suffering sigh something without proper vocal cords to add drama could make.

"It's Seifer. Leon tried to kill him, you should probably yell at him or something because he's a huge dick," he added, feeling miserable.

"Seifer…got turned into a Heartless? Well, we'll just have to find a way to turn him back, I guess. Hi Seifer, sorry about Leon," Sora apologized, giving the white Heartless a smile.

"Idiot," Fuu said loudly, single visible eye glassy with unshed tears as she walked up to her friend and hugged him, Rai joining her after a second.

They eventually all dispersed to their rooms or to sit in corners of the house and talk, Pence, Olette, and Roxas sitting next to him, the Disciplinary Committee to the side. He couldn't even bring himself to care where everyone else was, though he was sure someone mentioned it. If his friends noticed his silence during their conversation, they kept it to themselves. When they broke to go to sleep, he decided to stay in the living room with Seifer because it seemed wrong not to. He had curled up on the floor like a cat, Fuujin and Raijin lying next to him. Curling up against the Wyvern's back, he closed his eyes and tried not to think about much of anything, the thought of his rival never returning to his normal state again coming up whenever he let his mind wander.

* * *

><p>He knew it was stupid, but he wasn't about to let some silver-haired douchebag with a sword as long as he was tall kill Seifer, standing between the two as the injured Heartless attempted and failed to stand after suffering a deep gash in his chest. Sephiroth had already managed to trick Cloud into falling into a gate made of darkness, leaving the Wyvern and the brown-eyed boy alone in the chasm, and naturally Seifer just had to play the hero and get fatally wounded. They had originally been going to look for whoever fell out of the sky earlier, assuming it was yet another person displaced by the Heartless, but the only one they found was the one-winged soldier, who apparently had a hell of a history with the spiky-haired swordsman.<p>

"Why do you defend this creature?" He asked, voice almost as menacing as the blade that was holding his chin up to make eye contact with the villain.

"He's not a creature, his name is Seifer, and as long as his heart survives, no matter what form, I'm going to protect him in any way I can."

Sephiroth's lips quirked into a predatory smile, expression betraying nothing but a sinister madness, "That wasn't what I asked, was it?"

"You'll just have to repeat the question," he quipped back, feeling impossibly cheeky in the face of a man who was probably going to kill him.

"I said," he started, before a lightning quick movement of his arm plunged the sword into Hayner's stomach, driving the breath from his lungs, "_Why_ do you defend him?"

"Because…I love him…too much to let go," he grunted, stepping backwards until he was no longer impaled on the cold metal, feeling dizzy and sick with pain and blood loss.

"Love, such a foolish emotion to have for someone without a heart, don't you think?"

"Seifer, even now…has more of a heart," he stopped, hand pressed to his side to try to stem the bleeding, "Than you ever will."

He sank to his knees, panting just to get a breath as his heart hammered fitfully in his chest. Sephiroth took pity on him and raised his sword for a final strike, the brown eyed boy flinching at the last second, eyes slamming shut with the hope that Seifer would find some way to escape. The ring of steel on steel echoed sharply off the cliffs and against his better judgment he looked, just in time to see Seifer punch the black-clad swordsman in the face after deflecting his sword. Blinking several times, it took him a few seconds to process that the blond man was human again, though he didn't have the capacity for relief at the moment.

The scarred man had a gunblade very similar to Leon's, though it was lighter and more graceful, funny considering even at just eighteen Seifer was more muscular than the brunet. He fought the one-winged monster back, Sephiroth scowling and vanishing into a portal before appearing behind him, the blue-eyed fighter narrowly avoiding his strike. A shot from the end of the chasm alerted him to the arrival of Leon, the other gunblader, Tifa, Aerith, and Yuffie running toward them. The older brunette woman's fist caught him off guard, and he disappeared again as he flew backwards. A few tense seconds passed, but when he didn't reappear, Seifer turned his attentions to the injured teen.

"Hay? Hayner, talk to me," he pleaded quietly, frowning deeply and lifting the younger man into his arms when he coughed blood instead of responding.

"He's lost a lot of blood, I can heal him enough to keep him alive but we need to get back to the house to stabilize him. Can you carry him all the way back, Seifer?" Aerith asked, healing magic flooding his system before he faded out.

* * *

><p>Forcing himself to open his eyes, he took in the ceiling, and then Seifer sitting on an adjacent bed. The other noticed he was awake immediately, standing and moving to his side, an unusually soft smile on his face.<p>

"Hey, how are you feeling? We were worried when you wouldn't wake up."

"How long was I out?" He returned, avoiding the burning questions he had for after he'd gotten a more solid read on the scarred man.

"Few days. You've got some balls to stand up to Sephiroth like that completely unarmed. Oh, and," he stopped, leaning down and pressing their lips together, "Love you too."

"So a part of your heart really was with me? But why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Would you really have believed me?"

"No, I guess I wouldn't have…Would have been too easy. How did you turn back from a Heartless?"

"Aerith thinks when you admitted that you loved me it caused a similar resonance to when Kairi tried to protect Sora. I'm just glad you didn't give up on me."

"Could never give up on you, idiot. What happened to Cloud, is he okay?"

"He showed up yesterday, seems as fine as he gets. So, too soon after you come out of a coma to ask you out?"

"Considering how long I've wanted you to, no. Love you, Seif, even when you turn into a monster and I have to face down a maniac to protect you."

"Love you too, even when you almost get yourself killed and worry me for days," he replied, leaning down and kissing him deeply.


	72. Who

I wrote this in fifteen minutes because I'm an asshole and I like The Who, and I really do think Behind Blue Eyes is a good song for Seifer.

Theme provided by: Izzy

Rating: T

* * *

><p>072. Who<p>

Seifer wasn't terribly surprised the first time he heard Hayner humming Baba O'Riley; the song was wildly overplayed and downright stereotypical teenage music. It did get him to pay closer attention though, and soon he noticed that the brown-eyed male humming Won't Get Fooled Again during their shared English class and Had Enough during gym. He seemed to know the melodies of the majority of The Who's albums by heart and probably didn't even realize he was humming them most of the time, but without fail he'd always leave to the tune of Seifer's favorite song by the group, Behind Blue Eyes. Eventually his curiosity got the better of him and he confronted the smaller blond on their way home.

"The fuck Seifer, I don't want to fight today, just leave me the fuck alone," he spat when the bully shoved him up against the wall.

"Just wanted to ask you something, chickadee," he replied, fascinated with how easily the softer pet name for his rival got him to relax.

"Then quit wasting my time."

"Why do you always hum Behind Blue Eyes when you're going home? You know most of if not all the songs, why just that one?"

"I don't feel like answering that question, now get off me," Hayner snapped, dark eyes flinching away to look at anything else.

"Not gonna happen, answer the damn question."

"Because it reminds me of you, and we've walked the same path most of the way home for years."

His quiet answer surprised the scarred teen in more ways than one, and he found he didn't really have anything to say in response. Stepping away from the sandy-blond, he jammed his hands in his pockets and kept walking home, mulling over the thought that maybe Hayner knew him better than he thought.


	73. Carpet Burns

I was working on something else and hit a roadblock, so instead, this.

Theme provided by: Pirate

Rating: T

* * *

><p>073. Carpet Burns<p>

"Goddammit Seifer, you win, now get off me," he swore, very much done with being wrestled into the carpet unless this fight was going in a completely different direction than he expected, "Only you would start a fight over something so stupid, this is really counterproductive."

"If I'm going to waste a week of my life working on you with this project, it should be at least be on the topic I want. It got us to agree, didn't it?"

"You argued with me for five minutes before tackling me to the floor and pinning me until I submitted. This isn't agreement, this is blatant coercion," he snapped back, not sure why the bully hadn't gotten off of him yet, breath hot on his neck.

The older blond laughed and the weight on his back was removed long enough for him to roll over, though as soon as he did Seifer held him down by his shoulders. The blue-eyed male was kneeling between his legs and leaning over him with an unusually predatory smirk, and he entertained the thought that this fight was indeed going a completely different direction. The only upside of their constant fighting was that the bully pinned him to things and it became acceptable to blatantly stare at him; what could he say, Seifer was damn attractive, in a brutal way.

"That's okay, I think I like coercing you," he answered, voice low in a way that made it suddenly hard to breathe.

"You talk big but you have no fucking follow-through. Do us both a favor and get off me before you make more of an ass of yourself, you coward."

To his surprise the taller boy didn't punch him or heed him and it took a few seconds to register the lips on his. Kissing back, he let Seifer deepen the contact when his tongue swiped along his bottom lip. He waited until the other's guard dropped, bit his tongue and rolled them, fisting his hands in his white coat and glaring. The scarred teen looked confused, ice-colored eyes searching his.

"You know, it's even worse to lead someone on, bastard."

"You take everything the wrong way. The one time I do what you want me to, what I've wanted to do for months, and you think I'm trying to hurt you in some way."

"Why should I even give you a chance? Honestly, after everything we've been through…"

"You'd think you would realize that most of our fights the past year have been caused by aggression because of the sexual tension between us. Why the hell else would you stare at me like I'm the most captivating thing you've ever seen when I have you pinned, hell, why would I waste my time shoving you against walls and holding you there when I could knock you out with a punch if I wanted to? I'm pretty sure _everyone_ wants us to fuck and get over it already."

He was also fairly certain that Olette had used the same words the last time he got into a fight with the muscular skater, though he'd assumed at the time that her shouting at him to 'quit dicking around and have sex with Seifer already' was a result of her wanting them to get together for a long time. Maybe she was just voicing what everyone else was thinking.

"So, you're serious about this?" He asked cautiously, still not sure this wasn't an elaborate trap.

"Yeah, I'm serious. I like you, you like me, we should date. It's honestly really simple."

"Fine, boyfriends then. You know, I never even knew you were into guys."

"Just you, really. You bite hard, by the way," he added with an accusing look.

"Payback for fighting about the project topic. You'll get over it."

Seifer just smirked and pulled him back down for a kiss, then moved to bite him on the neck hard enough to leave a mark. Grunting, he pushed the bully off and ignored how much that turned him on, because they really did need to get this project done.

* * *

><p>"Hay, why is there a mark on your neck? And why are your knees skinned?" Olette asked him as they walked to the water, sand hot under their feet.<p>

"I got a carpet burn, and both are Seifer's fault," he answered simply, regretting it the second he realized how that sounded, "But we didn't fuck, even though I know that's where your mind went."

"Too bad, I thought that you seemed a little less tense today."

"Well, Seif and I are kind of boyfriends now, so that could be it," he admitted, almost toppling over when she launched at him to give him a hug.

"I'm not sure if I'm happier for you that you two finally got together, or for everyone else because we don't have to deal with you two and your unresolved sexual tension."

"Thanks, I guess, and you're welcome."

"You're sure the carpet burn wasn't from-"

"Yes, get your mind out of the gutter or I won't tell you what happened."

"You hand out the hardest ultimatums, I swear," she returned, pouting.


	74. Babysitting

I should pretty much be shot for taking this long, as much as I've had a lot of things on my plate, a great deal of the delay was me staring at the screen thinking 'I have no idea what I'm doing' because I've never dealt with these two in this sort of situation and I was out of my element a lot. So sorry, I really mean that. Also, I absolutely do read your reviews, I've just been really preoccupied and haven't gotten the time to answer them. Again, so sorry. Love you guys to pieces!

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: T

* * *

><p>074. Babysitting<p>

His niece had been a part of his life since her birth; he was there with his sister when Naminé was born in place of her husband who was deployed in a foreign country, was one of the first people to hold her. When she was three he ended up babysitting her on a daily basis alongside his girlfriend after his sister got shipped out to fight in the war as well. The woman he planned on proposing to left him just two months before he landed a major role in a TV series, saying that having to take care of a kid was too much stress for her to deal with. Luckily he was able to afford a proper full-time babysitter to take care of his niece while he was working.

Everything was going better than he expected right up until he got the news that his sister and brother in-law were confirmed killed in action, the victims of an improvised explosive. He took a break from the show to deal with the aftermath, not surprised he had been given the right to full custody of Naminé in their wills. Accepting the responsibility as gracefully as he could in light of the circumstances, he couldn't help but wonder how he was going to explain to the five year-old that her parents were dead. Getting her to stop calling him 'Daddy' had been enough of a struggle. Taking her tiny hand in his, he walked her out to the car and drove her to what would become her permanent home, heart heavy.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Almasy?" A man with spiked-up hair that couldn't have been older than late-twenties addressed him, proceeding into the room at his nod.<p>

"You're Naminé's legal guardian, correct? I'm Hayner Dincht, the head pediatric neurologist here, nice to meet you," he explained, shaking the scarred man's hand with a smile.

"Likewise, Dr. Dincht," he replied as smoothly as he could, failing to hide his surprise. He wasn't trying to be a dick, but it was difficult to believe someone could be talented enough to move to that position at his age. Him showing up in jeans and sneakers to go with his white lab coat didn't really help either, he supposed.

"I get that look a lot, at least you didn't outright accuse me of lying, that's always a joy. What have you been told about Naminé's condition?"

"Not a lot, at least that anyone cared to explain. All I know is that she's stable and in a non-induced coma."

"So the extent of her injuries wasn't discussed with you?" He pressed, sighing when the older blond shook his head, "Well, her leg, arm, and several ribs were broken, she has a bruised liver, and we can't really tell the extent of the brain trauma until she wakes up. Could be days, could be months, but judging by her brain activity she should be able to come out of it. At her age she probably hasn't lost that much of her memory or working knowledge since she didn't have all that much to begin with. How long ago did she begin to read by herself?"

"Three years."

"So when she was four? I don't think the damage could have been bad enough to take that away from her, at least. For now, all we can do is keep her here until she wakes up, unless you think you can take care of her properly at home. If I can offer my professional opinion, I really wouldn't suggest it, you don't need that kind of stress in your life."

"You're speaking from experience," Seifer stated, knowing just from his body language that he wasn't throwing out random suggestions, there was something heavy and personal there.

"Yeah. But I'm not going to make your decisions for you. What do you do for a living, Mr. Almasy?"

"Call me Seifer," he requested first, knowing the sooner they dispelled the sterile distance between them the better, "I'm an actor, I just finished a few weeks of shooting for a movie when the accident happened."

"I thought you looked familiar. Listen, why don't you go home tonight and sleep on it, we can talk more extensively about everything tomorrow. In the meantime, get this filled," he continued, handing the taller man a slip of watermarked paper, "You're allergic to diphenhydramine, right? I pulled your file. Anyway, since you'll suffer a fatal allergic reaction if you take the over the counter sleep aids, I wrote you a script for some standard Ambien. No offense, but you look like hell. Did they give you painkillers, or did you need those as well?"

He blinked, confused, "Why did you pull my file, and why are you attempting to medicate me?"

"There are some big differences between me and a standard neurologist. Obviously one of them is that I specialize in dealing with children, but unlike normal neurologists who only treat their patients, I have to be able to look after both my patients and their parents. Or in this case, uncle. You need to be well rested and at least have your pain managed in order to be able to make informed decisions and continue taking care of your niece. For Naminé's sake, if nothing else."

"I'll take them, and no, I don't need painkillers. Uh, thanks?" He added, still failing to get a read on the doctor.

"You can thank me by taking care of yourself so I don't have to, alright? Did you have any other questions, Seifer?"

"Just one for now, and no disrespect intended, how old _are_ you?" He queried, because if he didn't ask now it was going to bother him not knowing.

"I'm twenty-eight. I got my PhD in six years and immediately got a residency here. I know a lot of people think I'm way too young to be doing this, but as far as I'm concerned it just means I get to help people for longer than others."

"Believe me, I appreciate what you've done for Nami so far. You'll update me if her situation changes?"

"Of course. Uh, hold on," he said as the actor stood to leave the room, scribbling something on a notepad he had in one of his pockets and tearing the sheet out to hand to him, "This is my cell, call me if you need anything. Even if it's four in the morning I'll probably answer."

He had the suspicion this wasn't standard protocol, but he flashed the brown-eyed doctor a smile anyway, "Thanks, Hayner."

He figured if the other was comfortable enough to hand out his cell number and call him by his first name, Seifer could do the same. The way the sandy-blond blushed when he smiled back was telling of a great number of things, too. He didn't want to pin the 'gay' label on anyone he'd only been around for five minutes, but he was never wrong. Or if he was he was hot enough that guys were willing to pretend just for his attention. Either way, he left the hospital and headed down to the local pharmacy to get the script filled, considering the orange bottle for several minutes later that night before taking one. It was really fucking hard to sleep with a broken arm and six broken ribs, much less his stress over his niece, and Hayner had a point about needing to be rested to make decisions. After about twenty minutes he fell into a sound sleep.

* * *

><p>"So you totally have a crush on Uncle of the Century, why don't you just ask him out?" Olette asked him, the child psychologist he'd been friends with for twenty years entirely too into his social life.<p>

"His name is Seifer, 'Lette. And even if he was into dating men it's unacceptable to date the guardian of one of your patients," he huffed back, jamming a muffin into his mouth because he was fairly certain this was supposed to be his _lunch_ break, not his ward-off-Olette's-meddling break. That one was usually later in the day.

"Oh blah blah, you're just nervous because he's pretty much the hottest guy who's ever given you the time of day. And he's a fairly famous actor, who obviously is amazing and gentle and kind because he's been raising his sister's daughter for basically her entire life even though he was only twenty-three when she was born," she sighed wistfully and continued, "I wish there were more men like him, gay or not. It takes something special to take care of a child that isn't even yours by yourself; most guys can't be bothered to take care of a kid that is theirs with their baby-momma's help."

"What on earth makes you think that Seifer Almasy swings that way at all? He's dated several people before and none of them had dicks."

"Because he flirts with you all the damn time. I've seen your texts and the way he smiles at you. You're either blind, stupid, or afraid. I know you can see and you're pretty bright, so you must just be too much of a coward to try. Come on, you haven't had a serious relationship in five years."

"I am not going to ask him out, Olette, so drop it. Besides, I doubt he's going to be interested in dating when his niece is in a coma still."

"If you don't ask him out when she wakes up you will be missing a golden opportunity."

Rolling his eyes, he grabbed a banana and stalked out of the break room. He knew she was just trying to help him out, and he did have a thing for the handsome man that texted at least once most days, but at the moment he was dealing with too many patients to worry about having any kind of love life. At least that was his reasoning to justify why he hadn't even tried to get laid in roughly two months. Maybe he was just becoming one of those horrid people that lived their entire lives at work only to retire and realize they never did anything they wanted to do other than their job.

"Paging Dr. Dincht to room 305, Dr. Dincht to room 305," the PA speaker rang cheerily.

He'd like to pretend he didn't jog halfway across the hospital and up two flights of stairs because that was Naminé's room, but they had security cameras. Slightly out of breath by the time he reached the open door, he was overcome by that so-happy-I-could-cry feeling he usually got when a kid woke up or showed improvement when the blonde girl blinked at his arrival in surprise. He probably would have too, if he didn't have a ton of work to do from here on out.

"Where's my uncle?" She directed the question to anyone in the room that would listen, the nurses pausing to look at him.

"Here, you can talk to him," he answered, dialing Seifer and handing her the phone.

The first thing she did was ask him why he wasn't here and her expression of confusion was absurdly adorable. She ended the call just after telling him he shouldn't talk on the phone while driving, and then her large blue eyes met his, clearly asking for explanation. The two nurses that were checking her pulse and temperature filtered out to leave them alone, their jobs essentially done.

"So, Naminé, what's the last thing you remember?"

"Uncle was driving us home and I think I fell asleep."

It surprised him that she remembered so much, maybe she'd make a quick recovery, "Yeah, you did. And your uncle was really worried when you didn't wake up, so he took you here to see us."

"What are these?" She asked, pulling at the cast on her leg and the IV in her uninjured arm.

"You got hurt, and they're what's going to help you get better."

"So like medicine and bandaids?"

"Exactly like that. Do you feel alright, or does anything hurt?"

"The ladies put something in this," and she gestured to the IV, "And now I just feel kinda floaty. How long until Seifie gets here?"

He was so going to hold letting his niece call him 'Seifie' against him, he could already think of several jokes about it. It was also completely precious. This was probably a huge reason why he loved kids, they were damn cute when they weren't screaming or breaking things.

"He's probably going to get here in the next half hour, you just gotta be patient, okay?"

Olette lurked at the threshold, but smiled at him and retreated when he met her gaze. He supposed she was going to leave them alone for the moment too, even though technically she should probably be doing something to assess Naminé's mental state. She knew he was entirely capable of doing it himself, and how much this meant to him. Because he wasn't returning the little girl to a bad neighborhood or even keeping her away from abusive parents, he was going to be giving a fucking fantastic guardian back the niece they'd cared for and protected her entire life even though he didn't have to.

"So, do you know my uncle?"

"Not in the biblical sense," he retorted automatically before he remembered that he was talking to a seven year-old and that was completely inappropriate, thank goodness she didn't understand, "Uh, yeah. You've been here for a while, we've talked a few times. He's a good person."

"Do you like him?"

"Yeah, I like Seifer a lot."

"Does he like you then?" She pressed, cocking her head to the side a little like she was thinking.

"I don't know, I guess he does?"

"Seifie says it's hard to make friends because a lot of adults lie. Do you lie too?"

"Not to him, if that's what you mean. Don't tell me you've never lied to him either."

"Well, sometimes, but it's a secret," she added conspiratorially, and he had to imagine she was talking about stealing cookies or maybe a broken vase.

"So does Seifer have any good friends?"

"Yeah, there's Fuu and Rai. Fuu's kinda scary at first but she's nice, and Rai is like a bear except cuddly. They're my uncle's best friends ever."

"Do they visit often?"

"Not all the time, but he talks with them on his phone. Sometimes they babysit me when he's busy working."

"Do you have any friends at school?"

"Kairi, she lost her mom and dad too and got adopted. She's really nice."

"That's good. Do you know her adoptive parents at all?"

"Yeah, her daddies are Roxas and Axel."

He stopped for a moment, because he knew Roxas and his husband had adopted and he was Kairi's godfather, but he hadn't realized it was that Kairi that she was talking about. It was an unusual name but there were probably a few of them running around a city as huge as Radiant. Through some hilarious twist of fate his best friend's daughter was the closest friend of his crush's niece. Small world, he supposed.

"I know Kairi actually, I'm her godfather. Her dads and I are good friends."

"Really? Seifie and Roxas don't like each other very much so I don't get to see her outside of school. You should take her to the park to see me instead."

"It'll be a little while before you can go to the park, but as soon as you're better I'll take her, okay? You just need to convince Seifer to bring you and I'll take care of the rest."

"Promise? If you break your promise I'll tell my uncle that you lie and he won't like you anymore."

He was being threatened by a girl twenty-one years his junior and he actually felt slightly worried about it. At least he could be sure that nothing stranger than this was likely to happen today, if ever.

"I promise, and don't worry, I don't lie about things like that."

They talked at length about her friendship with Kairi and how terrible people who lied were, and ten minutes into it Seifer showed up looking winded but ecstatic. Hayner promptly got the fuck out of his way and walked out into the hallway, shutting the door on his way out. Leaning against the wall to eventually catch the scarred actor on his way out, he closed his eyes and ignored Olette's mouthing of 'ask him out' from the far end of the wing. Woman was insatiable. Apparently thinking he just had bad eyesight, she walked right up to him and demanded to know why he wasn't asking Seifer out right this minute.

"'Lette, please just let the guy have a moment with his niece? She's been in a coma for two weeks and he's been worried half to death. If he's going to go out with me, he will whether I ask him right now or not."

"Oh my god you are just too fucking saintly to ever get laid. I give up on you, you're hopeless," she threw up her hands at him and stalked about twenty feet away, knowing she had work to do with the blonde girl as well.

Seifer walked out about fifteen minutes later looking calmer than he had in the entire time Hayner had known him. It kind of sucked to need to get back to business right away, but it was for Naminé's health and safety that they made sure she was alright.

"Hey, I know this isn't the best time to separate you two, but we really need to start running some scans and tests to make sure nothing's been damaged that isn't readily apparent just by talking to her."

The man with ice-colored eyes quirked an eyebrow at him questioningly before asking, "Do you usually get parents who obstruct your attempts to help their children? You've been nothing but fantastic so far, I know you'll do what's best for Nami. Even if I have to wait a while to take her home."

"I do, yeah, I guess I forgot that not everyone wants to be difficult. Sorry," he added, glancing at Olette, who jumped in to rescue him.

"I'll start out making sure she's stable and doesn't suffer from claustrophobia, otherwise we'll have to use the open MRI. You should talk to Seifer about the plan going forward," she suggested quickly as she entered the room.

"Do you need to stay up here, or can we go down to the café on the first floor for some coffee?" The taller man asked with a small smile and a look that confirmed that yes, he was absolutely flirting.

"Coffee's fine, better than standing in a hallway."

The barista smiled at him knowingly, and he wasn't sure if Olette was talking to every female friend she had about his ridiculous crush or if everyone could just see it. Both were equally embarrassing, but if Seifer noticed his blush he didn't comment. They sat down at a free table, the other across from him.

"Nami told me you're Kairi's godfather, huh?" He began with a small smirk, like he had gleaned a lot more information than that out of his chat with his little girl.

"Yeah, Rox and I have been best friends for two decades now. I'm not," here he waved vaguely, "Religious or anything of the sort, but modern godparents rarely are. I'd take care of Kairi if something happened to them, that's basically all it means. I babysit her every once in a while. Why don't you get along with Roxas?"

"We discovered in college that we're completely incompatible."

"It's been something like eight years since you saw each other though, hasn't it? People do change, Rox has become a lot less of an asshole since then, especially after his daughter entered his life. Regardless, we should set up a play date at the park once Naminé's healed up, she made me promise. I'm sure Kairi would be thrilled."

"Nami pretty much adores you, which is impressive because you two have known each other less than a half hour. Trying to get in good with my niece, huh?" He asked suggestively while taking a sip of his coffee. Seifer was probably the only Hollywood-type to drink black coffee out of desire rather than necessity, it was kind of attractive how grounded the guy was.

"And what if I was?" He replied as confidently as he could, considering he'd never once actually held the ball in this relationship.

"Does the hospital have a policy on professionalism that says you can't get involved with a patient's guardian? 'Cause I really want to ask you out to dinner after Naminé and Kairi's little play date but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble."

"If they do, no one's ever told me or anyone I work with about it. Besides, once we get her cleared, that won't even be an issue."

He knew why Seifer wanted to impose roughly a two-month wait on their first date depending on how quickly his niece recovered from her physical injuries but it probably wouldn't make the waiting any less intolerable. As much as admired the blue-eyed blond's patience and priorities that he would wait to try and pick someone up until Naminé was fully healed and could be properly looked after by an average babysitter, it still kind of sucked. But then, he should probably just be glad the man even wanted to talk to him outside of their doctor-guardian capacity.

"That's not actually an answer of whether you'll let me take you out on a date or not, you know."

"Well if I'm willing to not take the obvious out you gave me by pretending like it was a policy issue, you can safely assume I'm going to agree to let you take me out to dinner. Let's be honest, you don't get turned down a lot."

"Yeah, but I don't ask out hot male doctors a lot either. And while we're being honest, most people regardless of gender don't want to make it a steady thing with Naminé around."

"But…aren't we past the age at which kids are a deal-breaker?" He quested, tilting his head slightly in genuine confusion.

"You're forgetting how immature the people I usually deal with are. At thirty they act like they're twenty and any kid that isn't their own is an automatic death to the relationship. Get in the way of their drug and party habits."

"Sounds like a miserable lot of losers. Er, no offense, I don't mean you, obviously. You're a better guardian to Nami than most of the biological parents I deal with."

"That bad, huh?" He pressed a little further, and the genuine interest in his work was refreshing from a potential mate.

"A lot of the kids we get in here are only here as a result of their treatment by their parents."

The scarred man regarded him with a sobered look, "That must be hard."

"Causes me to lose a lot of faith in humanity, that's for sure. I do this job for the kids, not the parents."

"I have a lot of respect for what you and Olette do. Not that that should necessarily mean anything to you," he added, clearly realizing he could be construed as patronizing in some lights.

"I know what you meant, and thanks. My life satisfaction has no basis in other people's opinion of me, but it's nice to hear something positive regardless."

The look in his companion's pale eyes gave him the impression that his message was received. He didn't _need_ Seifer or his approval, and the actor didn't need him either. He'd learned a long time ago that codependence crippled relationships because the two parties grew to need each other too much to manage to operate independently, leading everyone involved to feel trapped and helpless. Partnerships were based on love, not need, and it was necessary they establish right now that neither of them needed each other at all and never would.

"Of course, I'd be disappointed if it was, you're smarter than that. So, any estimates on when Nami will be able to come back home?"

"Dunno, depends on whether you'll still talk to me without being forced to come here or not," he answered with a smirk before continuing, "I think a week should be enough for us to determine if there's any trauma from the accident."

"Well, you do give me narcotics prescriptions for free, I guess I could manage. This may surprise you, but I don't call and text every doctor I know on a daily basis."

"Just the ones that give you drugs?"

"Nah, just the attractive ones."

"How many attractive doctors do you know? Don't count the ones who only play MDs on television."

"Just one."

"I'm going to tell Olette you don't think she's pretty and she will convince Nami to punch you in the mouth. I've seen her do it before."

"Olette's married, I don't think she really cares about my opinion that much."

"She doesn't wear her ring at work, how did you know?"

"Because she was constantly trying to throw you at me. Either she was taken or a celibate fag hag."

He nearly spat his coffee out trying not to choke on his surprised laughter. The fact that all of Olette's male friends were gay probably didn't help him get the idea out of his head either, because it made a hilarious sort of sense.

"You're just awful. Also you're banned from using that phrase ever again."

Seifer stopped and glanced at his phone when it vibrated, frowning and swearing.

"Sorry, I've got to go."

"Casting call?"

"No, have to appear in court for the prelims on the drunk driver that hit us. Formal court case probably won't be for several months, but you know," he answered as they both stood, the scarred actor crossing the distance between them and pulling him in for a short, chaste kiss before waving and taking off.

Blinking and putting a hand on the table to steady himself, he would never admit that the other may have just caused him to swoon slightly. He was doomed.

* * *

><p>"So are you and Hayner going to be like Kairi's daddies?"<p>

He stopped with the spoon halfway to his mouth, setting the silverware full of cereal back in the bowl because he had a feeling this was going to be a very interesting conversation. The little blonde girl hadn't said much to him about the handsome neurologist other than basic questions about what he did and why she had to keep going back to the hospital to see him and Olette. After she started having nightmares about the accident everyone had agreed it would be better if she went for a checkup every week. At the very least she was healing quickly and her casts were going to be removed in another three days.

"What do you mean, Nami?"

"Hay says he likes you, and you like him, so are you going to get married?"

This kid was going to be the death of him.

"Well, Kairi's dads spent a lot of time together before they got married. Usually two people are together for a few years before they decide to get married."

"When you get married, will you and Hay adopt me?"

The fact that she was asking about a proper adoption managed to give him more pause than the way she talked about their marriage as if it was a foregone conclusion that they were just putting off. It wasn't something she'd ever brought up before, even when she and Kairi first became friends.

"Do you want to be adopted?"

"I'd want to have had two dads more than a dad that died and an uncle. I know you don't think you can replace mom and dad, but…you could try?" She ended finally, looking at him like she would bet the world that he could do it.

He could thank years of stoicism in the face of incredible emotional trauma that he managed to not cry. Those were probably the most poignant and heartbreakingly beautiful two lines he would ever hear or read in his life, and they were straight from the mouth of a seven year-old with stunning blind faith in him. He always loved Naminé, but every once in a while she had a way of reminding him why he lived.

"I'll look into starting the adoption process, Nami. Even if Hay and I don't get married."

"You should though," she reminded him, "He doesn't lie like everyone else."

"No, he doesn't," he agreed quietly, staring into his cereal.

* * *

><p>True to his word, the Friday after Seifer's niece got her casts removed, he took Kairi to the park, finding them both on a bench waiting. He let go of the redhead's hand and she took off to grasp her best friend in a hug, the other running to meet her halfway. They immediately took off for the playground, leaving Hayner to sit down next to the pale-eyed man.<p>

"Hey, how's it going?" The actor asked, genuine or at least a very good facsimile of it.

"Long day at work and I'm on call this weekend, but not bad. You?"

He seemed to think for a moment before saying, "Nami asked me to adopt her."

That threw him for a bit of a loop, he could only imagine how Seifer had felt through that conversation. Glancing at the little girls holding hands as they ran up a slide, he considered a proper response.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, it's just…Surprising, how much faith she has in me as a parent. In my ability to replace the parents she lost. I worry about letting her down. I should probably be past that point, I've done a decent job so far, but…" He stopped, eyes flicking over to regard his companion.

It was really heartening to see that he still didn't quite trust his ability to take care of his little girl, a little insecurity was good for every parent. They were a lot more likely to take good advice and be involved with their kids' lives. Though there was no doubt in the doctorate's mind that Seifer was fully capable of being a good dad, not just a good uncle, he was glad the man wasn't arrogant enough to think he was perfect.

"I don't think you've ever done anything to give her a reason to not believe in your ability to be her dad. It might be hard to think about replacing your sister and brother in-law, but…it might be easier for her growing up if she can just say you're her dad instead of trying to explain her situation to other kids."

"You have a point there, she's already been teased about it a few times. You know, if you told me when I was twenty-one that I would end up the single father of a child that isn't mine, I probably would have punched you."

"And now?" He pressed.

"Honestly? Makes me happy," the man with ice-colored eyes replied with a small smile, moving to rest his arms on the back of the bench, "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"I'm not a glass princess, darling, spit it out," he snapped, rolling his eyes.

"Who did you have to take care of? When you said you didn't think it was a good idea for me to try to take care of Nami by myself while she was in a coma."

He frowned, this topic still touchy after so many years, "Shortly after my dad left us, my mom was diagnosed with cancer, which she battled for the next nine years. She was given six months to live just after I started working at the hospital, and because I was stubborn I tried to take care of her myself while working night shifts reviewing MRIs. After a couple of months, between stress and an absurd lack of sleep I ended up in the hospital myself because my internal organs were shutting down. Extreme insomnia can kill, and the funny thing is I have a degree that involves knowing the effects intimately, but I still let that happen. Obviously hospice took over for me, and she passed peacefully five months later."

"I'm sorry, about all of that."

"Thanks, but I'm…alright now. It was hard to get over for the first few years but I was always ten minutes or less away from a therapist, so. I guess you'd know about grieving better than I would, you lost both your parents when you were a kid, right? To the same war that your sister and her husband died in."

"I was eight, my sister was eleven. Lived in an orphanage for five years until a couple adopted us," he stopped and shrugged, "I guess if nothing else, I know some of what Nami will go through as she deals with the loss of her parents later in life. She seems to be handling it well now, but I know as she gets older it'll hit her in different ways."

"If she and Kairi stay friends, I think they can help each other out a lot too. And you've always got access to the best child mental health tag team in the country."

"Is that an actual competition?"

"Our annual conferences have kind of devolved into a massive circle jerk, so yes, actually. We win every year because Olette is terrifying."

The actor just laughed, eyes crinkling at the corners slightly. He was beautiful in a way that wasn't going to fade as he got older, the sort of almost-perfect that the precise scar slashed between his eyes only managed to improve. It made his already piercing eyes even more intimidating, and it wasn't all that surprising he was typically cast as the brutal lead in action movies, the attractive and cruel antihero that people loved. That somehow ended up shirtless and bloody by the end of almost all of his movies, not that Hayner was paying rapt attention. If it was wrong to be insanely turned on by Seifer beating the shit out of people, he didn't care to be right.

Taking a chance, he leaned over and caught the other's lips with his, surprised when the larger blond deepened the contact immediately, tongues sliding together languidly. He felt a hand wind into his spiked-up hair, gently tugging his head back to get better access. It was a telling move; Seifer was admitting that he could be possessive and controlling, but never so much that a simple comment or, in this case, a jerk of his head couldn't put his behavior back in line. For his part, Hayner jammed his tongue into his counterpart's mouth and proceeded to start a sparring match between them. He wasn't going to just submit and was never going to be easy to handle, but his passion made him nearly unbreakable.

They pulled apart when they couldn't breathe anymore, panting slightly. The brown-eyed male blushed under the steady gaze of the other and went back to watching the kids before he became any more uncomfortably aroused and tried to tackle Seifer to the ground and make out with him. Probably best not to do that in a public park in front of kids they were responsible for.

"It's inappropriate how much you turn me on," the scarred man whispered huskily in his ear, and he was back to thinking about doing things that were illegal in public to his companion.

"Likewise, now stop making it worse," he huffed, so certain this sexual tension was going to kill him and he'd only had to deal with it for a few weeks.

The other smirked at him like laying off was the last thing he planned to do, and he found he didn't mind as much as he should have.

* * *

><p>Watching the sandy-blond sleep as the slants of sunlight from the slits in the blinds crept closer to the bed, he wondered if the other would regret sleeping with him last night. He hadn't been drunk off anything but lust; two glasses of wine weren't going to faze someone who used to down an entire fifth of tequila by himself in a night when he was self-medicating the depression brought on by the death of his mother. But still, he knew that bottoms tended to be treated like crap after they had sex with someone on the first date and he hoped Hayner wouldn't expect the same from him.<p>

Tracing the long, straight scar across part of the left side of his chest then the shorter one just below his sternum, both of which the cute blond doctor had been carefully enigmatic about, he watched the other rouse slowly. He blinked once before turning his gaze on the man leaning over him, giving him a shy, sleepy smile.

"Morning, beautiful," the elder murmured before pressing their lips together, soft brown eyes falling closed as the lithe blond slid his tongue into the actor's mouth.

They made out lazily, a gentle, slow thing that made him realize he was probably a little in love with Hayner. Belaying the internal battle over whether it was stupid to get emotionally attached to someone after the disastrous relationships he'd had before or if the lean intellectual with a devious smirk maybe really was a different kind of lover, he pressed his companion into the mattress and licked his way deeper into his mouth.

"Think Olette and Pence can handle keeping Nami long enough for us to get breakfast somewhere?" He asked once he pulled away to look down at the other, a little amazed by the sleep-mussed man beneath him.

"With how lovely a kid she is, I think it'll be hard to convince them to let her leave. You know, you don't have to take me out just because we had sex."

"I do know, but I want to anyway."

The smaller male smiled up at him softly, somewhat at odds with the bruises on both their necks and shoulders. He was certain he'd see the two of them on a tabloid front-page very soon, and he figured it was as good a way as any to come out. Ideally when he got seriously interviewed about it he could refer to the fantastic creature he was in bed with as his boyfriend.

It had completely slipped his mind that his newest movie was teased at a big summer blockbuster opening Friday morning at midnight, so naturally there were a few paparazzi that tracked him down to his favorite little café. The baristas and owner knew him well enough to kick the camera-wielding fucks out of the shop, but they loitered outside as they always did. Hayner seemed about as bothered by the attention as a cat in the sun, just looking at him with a lazy grin that radiated warmth and ignoring them completely.

As they walked out together the neurologist caught his eye and gestured to the bottom-feeders of media as if asking for permission. Not sure what he planned to do but certain it would amuse the hell out of him, he nodded and quirked a questioning half-smile. Brown eyes glittered mischievously as he grabbed the actor by his jacket and pulled him in for a deep kiss as the shutters snapped furiously. It was pretty damn daring to make out with him in front of what would soon become the whole world and he loved it, wrapping his hand around the back of Hayner's neck and placing the other at the small of his back to hold him there.

After a minute they separated and the sandy-blond flashed him a blinding smile. Hailing a cab for his companion, he briefly considered just kidnapping him and turning off his phone so the hospital wouldn't bother him, but he somehow doubted that the doctor would be okay with that scenario.

"Same time again next Friday? You won't be on call that weekend, so you could stick around for a while longer," he added meaningfully.

"You're terrible, endeavoring to make my week drag by even more. That sounds fantastic, but why don't we stay in? Even if you secretly can't cook to save your life and we just get takeout, I'd love to spend an evening in private."

"Whatever you want, Hay, and I can actually cook something. Let me know what you want at Nami's appointment."

"I'll see you then, Seif," he answered as he slipped into the cab.

* * *

><p>"So imagine my surprise when I find a picture of you making out with your movie star boyfriend plastered across every celeb tabloid that exists. I can't believe you didn't tell me about this. Please tell me you actually had sex with him, for the love of god," Olette began mercilessly as soon as he walked into work Monday.<p>

"I figured you'd find out anyway, and yes, I did sleep with him," he rolled his eyes at her.

"There's hope for you yet. Also, Naminé is just precious as hell to babysit; I demand you invent reasons to leave her in our care all the time."

"Well, Seif and I are staying in on a date this Friday, think you could take her then?"

"He let you out him in front of paps and already asked you out on a second date? He must be pretty serious."

"Isn't outing him in front of the world more serious than a second date?" The blond queried, confused at her sudden arrival at that conclusion only after learning of their continued dating.

"No, not really. At least not for Hollywood types, and not in this day and age. That he wants to commit more of his precious time to you is more serious than letting you show the world he's bisexual. And you are one of the cutest things to walk on two legs, so it's not even like he's a super-gay bi. Just bisexual enough not to pass up something fantastic."

"I don't even comprehend what you just said. What is a super-gay bi?"

"I think the term you might be more familiar with is a five on the Kinsey scale. Seifer's more of a one, possibly a two. Even if he is evenly attracted to men and women, from what we can tell, he hasn't dated or fucked them equally so that doesn't count."

"Kinsey, really? When there are so many other orientation and gender expression scales out there?"

"Hey, it's a classic, and you understood what I meant that time."

"There is not enough coffee in the world for this conversation and I'm quite done with it."

"I hope he can tolerate your completely boring personality. But, on a serious note, how do you feel about him?" She shifted gears, green eyes softening.

"I might be in love with him," the lithe neurologist admitted with a small smile.

"That is adorable, you make me sick with how damn cute you two are. Think he feels the same?"

"I'm not sure, but if he wasn't interested in anything more than sex he would have been nice enough to tell me. He's not the kind to lead people on, he hates that. So he must at least like me if he wants to continue dating."

"I bet he's head over heels and you're just too used to being let down to admit it to yourself," she huffed back, shaking her head at him.

He allowed himself a moment to consider the implications of her being right before arguing against her, because she was right, he was too used to being let down to get his hopes up on this. Seifer was a fantastic guy and he enjoyed Hayner's company, but there was nothing particularly special about the doctor that the scarred man couldn't find in others. At least, not that he was aware of. Shaking his head and getting to work, he tried not to think about how far away Friday was.

* * *

><p>They were sprawled on the couch, half-watching the most recent random action movie DVD release as Seifer traced strange patterns on his back absently. He wondered if watching movies reminded him of his work, but he supposed no more than he was reminded of his job watching medical shows. At first he thought it would be strange to lay on top of his counterpart for the length of the movie as the actor had suggested, but after a few moments he'd relaxed into it and right now he couldn't think of any place he'd rather be.<p>

"So, is the second date too early to tell someone you're in love with them? How does that work with non-Hollywood couples?" Seifer queried softly, meeting his eyes when the younger man looked at him in surprise, a strange air of vulnerability about him.

"I'm not really sure, it's been a while since I've dated. And you know, we have known each other for something like three months? So, no, I don't think the second date is too early for me to tell you that I love you."

It was really risky, in retrospect, to assume Seifer was talking about him in the first place, because they'd never discussed being monogamous. As much as Hayner and a large portion of the rest of normal society were serial monogamists, that didn't mean that the stunningly attractive man with ice-colored eyes and tons of options was. But he'd always been prone to risk-taking activities, no reason his current relationship should be exempt.

"God, you're perfect. I love you too, Hay. So, are we going to make a steady thing out of this?" He ventured after kissing the brown-eyed man gently.

"You…want to?"

"It's so cute when you're confused. Yes, Hayner, I want to be in a serious relationship. The forever kind, not the until it's not convenient kind. The kind where Naminé is going to eventually call you Dad…she already wants me to marry you, you know."

The last was said with a small, fond smile. Like he was at the same time embarrassed and thrilled by his niece. He'd have to get used to thinking of her as Seifer's daughter soon, and maybe one day, _his_ daughter.

"She's a smart kid."

"You have this habit of not answering me, is it chronic?"

"Not sure, we'll have to run some more tests, huh? I'd love to do the whole long-term relationship thing with you; I just didn't think you would."

"I never expected someone like you to have relationship-related insecurities and self-esteem issues."

"I don't-" He started, cut off by a finger on his lips, Seifer giving him a sad smile.

"Yeah, you do. 'Cause your dad didn't think you were good enough to stick around for, and as far as I can tell, your most ex treated you the same way. In a way I understand why you feel that way, but I hope I can eventually show you that you shouldn't. One day I hope you'll believe me when I say that I'm lucky to have you. If you can put up with me that long, that is."

He frowned, pushing himself up and shifting his legs so he was sitting in Seifer's lap, knees on either side of his companion. The actor sat up with him, his left hand sliding into Hayner's hair comfortingly. It should have been disconcerting, realizing that his lover had seen what he'd managed to keep so well hidden from everyone but Olette who knew _everything_ because they were basically attached. But he felt strangely okay with it, disconnected, like it didn't even matter. Like he didn't need to be worried that that particular weakness was going to be exploited all to hell like it had in the past, because his boyfriend is leagues better than that.

"I don't think I'll ever believe that you're the lucky one," he answers finally, grasping after the thread of the conversation lest he lose it entirely.

"You should, because it's true," the pale-eyed man whispered against his lips before kissing him deeply.

* * *

><p>"Mr. Almasy, if you insist on showing up in very public places with your boyfriend carrying your daughter on his shoulders, I'm going to have to ask that you walk into the lens of a photographer more reputable than a pap that works for TMZ."<p>

She doesn't sound or look mad, and that's almost a first for his meetings with his publicist, "I swear I will give you a five percent pay raise if you call me Seifer, I'm still not kidding. And you're going to be a bit more explicit with what you want from me, Alice."

"Make it seven."

"Deal; why I have to bribe you to call me by my first name is a mystery to me."

"Because I am savvy enough to know how to get paid to do something I want to anyway. Seifer, I want your okay to schedule a few interviews with a few GBLTQ-interest magazines and Time. They have much better cameras, and are likely to give you a better headline than," she stopped to squint disbelievingly at the rag she happened to be holding, "I'm not even going to repeat this. Do you think Hayner would be upset if I started a libel suit on his behalf?"

"It's that bad?" She nodded solemnly and he continued, "No, I think he'd be fine with it, especially if it could impact his professional reputation. As far as the interviews, you know my schedule, just don't jet-lag me too badly."

"I'll have my secretary start scheduling things then, find you a babysitter for Naminé while you're away. Probably a week."

"Better than the months-long press junkets I have to drag her along for."

"Do you think Hayner would be adverse to accompanying you?" She queried, unusually quiet, perhaps realizing she was treading in rare unfamiliar waters.

"I guess it would depend. Technically I think he gets vacation time, but he never takes it. I'll ask him if his underlings can handle things for him for a week. Do you think it would help if he was?"

"I happened to be doing my job, seeing what kind of press you were getting since your relationship started and he outed you in front of a café, and quite a few journalists want to interview him too. I'm not sure what their angle is, but it's bound to be much better press for him than _this_," she said disdainfully, glaring at the tabloid for a few seconds like it personally affronted her by existing.

"I'll ask him, though I kind of feel like if he agrees to this he deserves a medal for being that committed three weeks into a relationship."

"Call me when you get an answer, and, Seifer?" She paused, quirking an eyebrow at him inquisitively like she was studying him to make sure he was paying attention, "If he agrees to put up with this, marry that man immediately."

"Is that your professional suggestion, Alice?"

"Personal. He's good for you, and if he can handle your ridiculous life I hope you realize what you've been given."

She stood gracefully and her heels clicked against the floor as she exited the kitchen and the house in general to go about her business. He wondered if it was a sign when so far two people had informed him he should marry his boyfriend. Glancing at Naminé, peeking out from behind the corner into the hallway, he stood up and smiled.

"Hey, think you can stand to spend some time with Olette and Pence tonight?"

"Are you and Hay gonna spend time together again?"

"I think so. I have to call 'Lette, but I think she'll be okay with it."

"I like it when you and Hay are together, you're happier. And Olette and Pence give me candy."

"You think I'm happier when I spend time with Hayner? Silly Nami, you know no one can make me happier than you."

"It's a different kind of happy. Like…Like Pence and Olette. They're happy to take care of me, but they smile at each other in a different way than they do when they look at me."

It surprised him how much she understood of human interaction considering how young she was. But she was naturally shy, so she spent a lot of time just watching people rather than engaging them. He ruffled her hair and leaned down so he could kiss her forehead, largely at a loss for words. Pulling out his phone, he got through to the brunette woman and she was thrilled to watch over Nami again, informed him that Hayner was having a difficult day and that maybe he should just show up and kidnap him after his shift ended. It was great to have someone to conspire with.

He drove with his niece down to the hospital and met Olette in the entrance to the building from the parking garage, taking Nami's hand and saying she'd be safe with them for the night.

"Hay's still finishing up with a patient, he's likely to be really tired when he's done. You could probably get away with kidnapping him if you waited outside room 214 and grabbed him."

"He's lucky to have a friend like you."

She smiled and walked the blonde girl to her car, and he started the search for the aforementioned room. Luckily he convinced a passing nurse to show him to it with a smile; he was almost certain she knew exactly who he was and why he was here, but she still blushed like a schoolgirl. Sometimes he felt bad for using his looks or status to get what he wanted, other times he was sweeping Hayner into his arms before the brown-eyed man knew what was happening. He squeaked, arms immediately going around Seifer's neck before he got his wits about him; apparently he was automatically more worried about falling than being abducted.

"Seif! The hell is wrong with you? You can't jus-"

He liked how efficient shutting his boyfriend up by kissing him was, two birds with one stone. Pulling away, he smirked at the blushing man.

"Put me down, I swear to god if you don't put me down right now…" He trailed off, distracted by a doctor and nurse walking by, giggling at him behind their hands.

"Threats only work if you finish them, Hay. Come home with me?" The scarred blond segued suddenly, turning a bit more serious.

"Would you honestly let me go back to my place if I refused?"

"I might normally…but since Olette told me to kidnap you, no, probably not."

"Totally unfair, both of you working against me. Fine, I'll come back to yours. Or I guess let you carry me there, because you're not going to let me down, are you?"

"Not until we get to my car."

"You're damn lucky I'm willing to humor you, or I would have punched you by now."

"Save the bloodplay for the bedroom," he returned almost on instinct, loving the way his spiky-haired companion blushed and shoved at him.

"If you insist; I'll save it for later," he snarled back, and it was really unfortunate that he couldn't just throw his lover against something right here and convince him to make good on that particular promise.

Giving up on fighting being carried, the lithe doctor curled into him and sighed, hand over Seifer's heart. He seemed completely exhausted, and the taller man got the feeling they were going to end up eating dinner and sleeping and little else. The odd part was, he was absolutely okay with that.

The drive home was uneventful, though he was concerned that Hayner had quite seriously fallen asleep in the twenty minutes it took them, and even though that wasn't the case he really wanted to press the issue. When his boyfriend hung up his lab coat and proceeded to flop on the couch, it was unavoidable.

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you so tired? Bad day?"

"Very. I was called in at two this morning, big accident involving multiple kids. Spent ten hours in the ER assessing their neurological condition. Of the four of them, one is in an induced coma, three are in trauma-related comas…And one of those isn't going to wake up," he bit his lip and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his palms, "And then I had to go about work as usual from then on. I convinced one of the ER doctors to talk to the parents of the two year-old that would only be able to survive on life support, I just couldn't this time."

He did some quick mental math, "So you've been working for nineteen hours straight?"

"Have I? God, what time is it?"

"It's almost eight. I picked you up just after seven. Please tell me you're not on call this weekend?"

"I am. The other pediatric neurologist is on vacation, 's why I didn't just go home after the stint in the ER. I was still slated to go home at three today, but I had to deal with a few other patients and it took much longer than expected."

"Would it be bad if I just accidentally misplaced your phone over the weekend? Speaking of vacation, I was wondering if you'd come with me to a few interviews for a week soon," he segued, guessing he wasn't going to win if he made the 'you work too hard for your health' argument and knowing it was patronizing to try.

"Only if we spend a week somewhere warm, quiet, and near the water right after. An island would be ideal. And Naminé has to come with us."

"I love the way you think, you beautiful creature. What did you want for dinner?"

"Some Chinese takeaway would be great, but I'm-"

"Allergic to shrimp, I know," the blue-eyed blond finished for him, and they just blinked at each other with the realization that they were absurdly domestic, "I asked Olette if there was anything important I needed to know about you that you wouldn't think to tell me. That you could die if you eat something that has touched shrimp and carry an epi pen in your back pocket with your wallet was one of those."

"It's been so long since there was a new person close enough to me to warrant me telling them stuff like that I just sort of…forgot. That not everyone in the world knew, because before you, everyone in my world did."

"Nine years, right?" He asked softly, knowing it was a sore spot.

"Yeah…Yeah. Sounds strange when you say it like that. I guess you can sort of understand how that feels, one of your girlfriends left because of Naminé, right?"

Olette had informed him that Hayner's boyfriend of four years had left him shortly before his mother died, fed up with not getting his undivided attention because there was someone else who needed his help. Left him right when the put-upon doctor needed his companion most, as well as cheating on him prior to that. She then detailed how badly she would destroy him if he ever hurt the tough but vulnerable man she'd been friends with for twenty years. And presented him with a newspaper clipping that described the state his ex had been found in after being assaulted by supposed gang members. The mystery remained unsolved because he had suffered so much brain trauma that he lost his memory of the six months leading up to the attack. Although he wasn't permanently affected he had been in the hospital for a month recovering, and her meaningful look told him everything he needed to know about who those "gang members" were.

"Yeah, they did. I find that kind of thing completely unforgivable, and I'd find your ex and throw him off a building if someone hadn't beaten me to the punch, literally," he answered, moving over to the couch, lifting up his companion long enough to sit down, and letting him shift so he was in Seifer's lap from his shoulders up, forehead pressed against the actor's torso and eyes closed.

"That was 'Lette, Rox, and Pence. I know it was, they never admitted it to me, but I'm not stupid. I'm just glad they never got caught."

"Was there any special reason why they decided to do that, or just because he was a remorseless piece of shit?"

"Olette didn't tell you?" He queried as he rolled over so he could look up into his lover's face, genuinely surprised.

"She values your privacy a lot, if you haven't noticed. No matter what, she wouldn't tell me something she didn't think you'd want me to hear from someone else's mouth."

"You're right, I hadn't thought of it like that. I'm sure you've seen the scars on my chest and before you jump to conclusions, no, he didn't cause them. Directly, anyway. Radiant can be a really nasty place past midnight if you end up in the wrong area, and we got pushed into an alley by some actual gang members. Sometime between one of them decking me and another pulling a knife, he took off. I managed to fight them off and call an ambulance before I bled out from the stab wound. The cops finally managed to find him two days later while I was still in the hospital, apparently instead of getting help or calling the police, he made the decision to get drunk in a bar. Shock can do funny things to people, but he was still a fucking coward and he could have gotten me killed. I told my friends that I had been alone that night, until he broke up with me and I told them the actual story. They didn't feel like being so forgiving."

He frowned, understanding why the group handed the piece of shit his ass. Hayner must have noticed his face darken, reaching up and cupping his face and giving him a brittle smile.

"Can we not worry about that right now? I'm really, really tired."

"Of course. I'll order us some food. Can I get you anything in the meantime?"

The brown-eyed man shakes his head and he gets up to call for delivery, already knowing what his companion likes to eat after a long day. It makes him wonder if maybe he really hadn't been putting enough effort into his relationships before. He definitely knew more about his current lover than he had about the past two combined and he had them around for eight months total. In a way, he's glad it didn't work out between them, because he has something way better with Hayner and he knows what not to do in a relationship at this point in his life. It was rather decent of the doctor to wait until he had matured enough to put everything he could into making this work.

He carried the lithe man into bed as soon as they were done eating, the latter half-asleep already and quite possibly not capable of making it there himself. Seifer briefly entertained the thought of turning his phone off and hiding it from him, but he knew the second he tried to do something generous the whole thing would backfire and some kid would end up in a terrible accident again and there wouldn't be a specialist on hand to tend to him. Sighing, he undressed and curled in behind Hayner, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him against his chest.

"Love you, Seifer."

"Love you too, Hay."


	75. Lance

Been utterly swamped lately. This is some sort of Fire Emblem/KH hybrid, if you wonder at the class names just look them up and you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about. Was originally Pointed Lance but I shortened it. Incredibly possible that this is my longest submission to this collection yet.

Theme provided by: tigerlilith

Rating: High T

* * *

><p>075. Lance<p>

He knew better than to question the wisdom of his tactician when the slate-haired man pointed to the wyvern rider circling the plains without engaging their men, suggesting that perhaps that particular enemy could be subdued and convinced to switch sides. It seemed like a ton of effort to go to on just an assumption, but the strategist had never been wrong before and all of them were still alive, so Seifer was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Moving north through the woods to get closer without the person astride the black and green wyvern noticing him, he took careful aim with his gunblade. Fliers were always vulnerable to arrows and, in his case, bullets, but he didn't want to kill the person, just shoot them out of the sky.

A single shot was plenty to knock the rider out of the saddle, their steed swooping to catch them and landing awkwardly due to the unbalanced weight. Moving quickly to where the knight had fallen, he stepped onto the open plains and approached the dragon carefully. It snarled at him, but quieted when he held up a salve he kept on him, recognizing the smell. The man he'd attacked was breathing shallowly, lying on the ground below his mount with a hand pressed to his side as blood seeped out of it, a small trail of the red liquid tracing the line of his chin and neck. His lance lay at his side, just out of reach of his free hand. The young man was minutes away from death, and he knew it.

Kneeling next to him, he yanked the knight's hand off his wound and applied the salve, watching the concoction knit the wound closed. It was enough to keep him alive, but far from what was needed to actually heal his injuries enough for him to be able to walk, much less fight back.

"You can either defect to my army, or I kill your dragon and leave you here to die, slowly."

He removed his helmet, revealing spiked-up, wavy blond hair and dark eyes, a man who was probably just barely of age. Those large eyes studied him for a few seconds before they narrowed and a slash of a smirk found its way onto his face.

"You wouldn't do either of those things."

"That's a lot to put on the line for an assumption of a guy you don't know at all."

"Like how you brought me down specifically to try and recruit me? You're just killing the others, if you let me live you must have assumed I was receptive to turning on my own men."

"Yes, like that. Though I was never in quite so vulnerable a position."

"I could still kill you, right now. Asheld could take your head off in one bite."

"It would take two bullets to end the both of you and I'd walk away without a scratch."

"Goddess you're arrogant," he commented before sitting up and coughing, his once-clean hand coming away with flecks of blood, "What's your name?"

"Seifer Almasy, yours?"

"Hayner. Fine, Seifer, I'll fight for your side. Wouldn't want to fight against someone as fucking crazy as you."

"I'd hoped you'd say that," he answered before grabbing the younger man by the hair and yanking his head back enough to pour some elixir down his throat.

He swallowed it down and punched the scarred man on the jaw, just hard enough to hurt. His hot glare didn't soften as he stood up, collected his weapon, and offered a hand up to the lord he'd just sided with.

"You could have just asked or offered, asshole."

"But it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun as manhandling you, Hayner. Follow me; we're going to take the fort."

The sandy-blond just shook his head and climbed up into the saddle, replacing his helmet and ordering his wyvern into the air. In retrospect, he really shouldn't have expected the rebellious knight to heed his every order, immediately being captured by the flying lizard's claws and flown toward the fortress they were surrounding. Landing with a roll in the grass, he made a note to get back at Hayner for the antic later, grinning despite himself.

Their tactician took the addition of a new member in stride, ordering the brown-eyed man to attack the general, more out of want to increase the rider's skill level with a worthy opponent than any kind of test to prove himself. Standing as close to the gate as he could while remaining out of range of the hulking man in armor and the cartwheeling wyvern, he guessed he wasn't really supposed to catch what the general shouted to Hayner.

"You really think you're going to get away with this, you little traitor? Even if you are his son, the King is going to have you tortured back into obedience."

"Only if he can catch me."

With the aid of their cleric and a stunning critical blow the final guard to the fortress went down, folding inside his heavy armor. They entered the building and gathered in one side of the large courtyard to plan the seizure of the rest of the structure, knowing there had to be units that were yet inside. Hayner had moved away from the group under the guise of tending to his mount, though Seifer could tell the damage was entirely cosmetic.

"There's a reason you didn't tell me your last name, isn't there?"

He froze, body drawn taut as a wire as he turned toward the man with ice-colored eyes, something almost frightened in his demeanor. His gaze was wary and he stepped away unconsciously when the swordsman got too close.

"You overheard what the general said, didn't you?"

"And was wondering why you would turn on a kingdom you will one day rule anyway. Impatient to ascend the throne enough to kill your father?"

The smaller man snarled and grabbed him by the front of the shirt he wore under his long coat, jerking him forward until there were scant inches between their faces. The young blond carried a stunning amount of anger inside of him to get furious so quickly over what was largely an empty barb.

"I didn't join you to murder my father, but if that's what is required of me that is what I will do. I don't agree with this war; I think that druid is the worst thing to ever happen to our country and my father is a fool for not killing him the first chance he got. I'm not doing this to ascend the throne, I'm doing this to try and stay alive and save my country in the process," he hissed, fire slowly fading from his eyes before he let go of the swordsman and took a step back.

"Why do you think Ezra would have hurt you before you betrayed him?"

"For the same reason that I know my father will be unerringly loyal to him until one of them dies," he muttered, something dark in his expression before he turned and swung into the saddle, prompting Asheld to take off and careen away from the fortress and toward the mountain.

"He'll be back in an hour, I asked him to look for reinforcements earlier after he tended to his wyvern," their tactician said, startling him.

"Fucking hell, Zexion, don't sneak up on me like that."

"I wasn't sneaking, you're just preoccupied with our new soldier. It seems like a lot more than just concern over him betraying us."

"You read into things overmuch."

"Which is why I was so incorrect about Roxas and Axel, yes? Those two still hate each other, just like you said they always would," the dark-eyed man answered, glancing off towards the two, who were bent toward each other sharing some intimate secret.

"Point. Do whatever you think will keep us alive, and if that means I end up fighting by his side instead of with Fuu and Rai, I'm sure those two can handle themselves. Tell me though; did you know he was the prince of Wies before now?"

"I might have had some inkling. His wyvern has very unusual coloring, distinctive."

"If you weren't so good at what you do I'd be much more concerned with your motivations than I am."

"I'm sure, milord."

* * *

><p>It was hard not to notice that no one other than Seifer and his tactician seemed to be aware that he was royalty, much less that he belonged to the very monarchy they were trying to overthrow. He had to admit it was refreshing to be just a member of an army for a change. It was easy to become friends with the mage named Olette and the knight she planned to marry, Pence, as well as the standoffish mercenary Roxas. Approaching the latter without getting attacked took some work, but once he got the hang of it he wasn't terrible company. Zexion seemed intent on keeping him and the noble together, even making them sleep in the same tent. It wasn't hard to tell that he made the other nervous, maybe even uncomfortable, and he couldn't blame him. The only thing that stood between Hayner guarding his leader's back and driving a knife into it was his word. If he pushed himself harder than he should to protect Seifer in gratitude for that trust, the lord didn't say anything.<p>

* * *

><p>If he ever saw Zexion again he was going to strangle the man for leading them into this mess. Asheld was soaring above them and a bit away, ready at a signal to plunge back into the trees and pick his rider up and nursing his wounds in the meantime. Hayner's blood was soaking into his coat, one arm dangling uselessly over his shoulder as he carried the smaller man on his back towards the nearest healer. The heroically stupid teen had distracted two archers to give Seifer a chance to heal himself after a cavalier landed a lucky hit with his lance and it was a miracle he was still breathing after pulling a stunt like that. And if the man with ice-colored eyes didn't get him to a strong healer quickly it was going to be a hell of a short-lived one as well.<p>

The wyvern roared out a warning a few seconds before a myrmidon burst through the trees, running towards him with his sword poised to strike. Lacking the ability to effectively dodge with the added weight of the knight on his back he parried only well enough to turn the fatal strike into simply a debilitating one, a deep gash into his side rather than a blade through his heart. He fired off a shot and the bullet buried itself into his enemy's shoulder but seemed to give him little pause as he moved in to finish Seifer off.

He heard faint whispering in another language right next to his ear and Hayner held his hand up, the ground shuddering briefly as a black slash struck and absorbed the other fighter, dissipating and leaving no trace of him. The prince slumped limply again, completely unconscious for certain this time and leaving his scarred leader to bite back his burning questions about what the hell had just happened.

By the time Naminé was able to heal them the battle was over and the younger blond male was still unresponsive, leaving Seifer to carry him to their small village of tents and strip him out of his armor. He was thankful, for once, that Zexion had decided to make them sleep in the same tent. Just this one time it was more convenient than it was awkward to be sharing a sleeping space with a stranger; it made it easier for him to not only watch over his companion's slumber, but corner him as soon as he was awake and demand answers. He accepted his shirt and coat back from Fuu after Demyx had finished cleaning and mending them, the mage somehow knowing a water spell that removed blood from clothing as well as how to sew quickly and effectively.

The dark-eyed knight started awake, upright and alert before he even realized where he was, relaxing once he recognized his surroundings. After a few beats his expression grew sharp and his muscles went taut, like he was a single misstep away from bolting. It was startling how young and vulnerable he looked when he was uneasy.

"Are you alright?"

"Fine, you?" The spiky-haired teen returned, sounding just as edgy as he looked.

"Never better. Thanks for the help, by the way. You already know what I want to talk about, right?" He asked, fully prepared to chase after him if he did indeed decide to run.

"My mother was an exceptionally powerful dark magic user, was born with a strong talent for it and honed her abilities to the point where she didn't need a spell book to augment her power and just memorized the words to the spells. Turns out her talent with magic was hereditary. She sang the words to her favorite spell to me when I was young, the one I used back there is the only one I know, and the only one I plan on knowing. Magic isn't something I want to involve myself with."

"That's a very rare talent, you know."

"I've never met anyone else that casts spells without the spell books, but just because I can doesn't mean I have to. I didn't just decide to become a knight on a whim."

"I guess that would explain why you have such an high resistance to magic when every other wyvern rider is dismally weak to it. Why do you keep it a secret though?"

"It's not the business of anyone but me. I don't feel obligated to just share my entire life story with every member of this army, hell, I'm not really comfortable with talking to you about everything and you're the one I'm closest to. But at least I can trust that you're not going to force me to use magic all the time now that you know."

He could tell just by the way the other looked away that someone had forced the prince to cast spells at some point in the past, saw the logic of the other becoming essentially the farthest thing from a mage as he could with his slight build. Hayner didn't become a wyvern rider because he wanted to be stronger and faster than the mounted knights in his kingdom, he did it so he could have the freedom to fly away from whoever had been trying to control him. The realization had the sudden effect of making him both furious and sad, though luckily Hayner was too lost in his own thoughts to notice.

"Thank you for using your magic to save my life, and know that I'll never expect that of you. In fact, I'd really prefer if you didn't dive in front of arrows to protect me either because I've already had enough of carrying you through the woods."

It was just his nature to end a heartfelt statement of gratitude with snark, and it seemed like the other understood that, if the quiet smile he had on his face was any indication. He stood up and walked to the opening of the tent, explaining that he was going to check on Asheld, and against his better judgment the scarred lord believed him. The spiky-haired man had to know better than to run; if he wasn't on their side they'd have to hunt him down and capture him to ensure he didn't pose a threat later, and the royal army was actively looking for him as well. Sooner or later one of them would catch up to him.

* * *

><p>It had taken him years to just be able to handle heavier lances while in the saddle and as such it came as a surprise when he not only mastered his original weapon, but had become comfortable and in-sync enough with Asheld to manage swords as well. They required a completely different strategy and movement, as well as a much higher level of trust between him and his mount to get so close to a well-armed enemy.<p>

Of course, he needed to actually train with a sword on his feet to be able to have any sort of competency in the air, and it was obvious to everyone who was going to be his sparring partner. His pulse sped up every time the other would pin him to the ground or press their bodies together in a grab and he couldn't decide if it was because of the smirk the older man had every time he overpowered Hayner made him furious or because his companion just really turned him on. It could be both, he supposed, trying desperately to keep his mind on the match.

It worked right up until the noble said something completely inconsequential, probably about needing to put more force into his swing, while straddling him and looking down with an expression that was more curious than challenging. It was worryingly easy to just lean up and press their lips together, willfully ignoring that he was pretty sure Seifer, Squall and Rinoa had some sort of love triangle going on and that he was not in the best position to get away quickly. The older man returned the slight pressure quickly enough, but his face betrayed his confusion when they pulled apart. Using that disorientation to his advantage, he slithered out of the pin and took off towards his mount a short distance away as quickly as he could without actually running.

Vaulting into the saddle, they shot into the air together and he directed Asheld to the mountains nearby. They were close enough that he could see if something happened that required his attention, but much too high and far for Seifer to be able to get to him. Kairi could reach him on her pegasus, but as long as he was somewhere they could see him they wouldn't bother to send her out looking.

It wasn't until he dismounted on a flat outcropping that he noticed the blood roaring in his ears and the pounding in his chest, attempting a concerted effort at calming down. Sitting down and leaning against his mount's foreleg, he absently scratched behind the beast's horns, the reptile's head on his shoulder.

The sparring match had left him sore and exhausted, and he was certain he'd only closed his eyes for a few seconds before he started awake to the sound of small concussive blasts, the sun much lower in the sky. Cursing the fact that he only had a sword with him rather than his lance, he pulled himself into the saddle, knowing that sound could only have been coming from Seifer's one-of-a-kind gunblade. Darkness swarmed around the two figures engaged in battle as he drew near enough to see them, and his heart sank.

More gunshots could be heard over the buffer of the thick magic, and he could see that Ezra was completely unaffected, the projectiles going right through him as if he was immaterial. The lord dropped to his knees, weapon fallen to the ground as he clutched his chest, thick, textured magic constricting around him. He knew that the druid was crushing his companion's internal organs, a fairly slow process the way he went about it, but no less fatal unless he was stopped. Squall was seriously wounded but alive twenty paces back, though why Ezra seemed to be trying to kill one of the lords but left the other breathing was a mystery. Of the two, Seifer definitely commanded more respect since his holdings were larger and he was a year older; perhaps the magic-user wanted to destroy them slowly by taking out their leader and leaving them to flail in the aftermath.

Biting his lip, he knew he was going to have to use magic to stagger the enemy; if Seifer and Squall's bullets had done nothing it was unlikely that his sword would until he figured out a way to make Ezra material again. Saying the words as much as having them ripped from his mouth by the wind as he careened towards the camp, he focused on the man in a black and sickly green cloak, putting considerably more effort into the spell than he had with the myrmidon weeks before. Asheld quivered in fear under him, the wyvern always a bit frightened of his master's power even though his mount was warded against all spells.

As his dark magic struck home the druid stumbled a bit, his spell ending abruptly, leaving his scarred victim still breathing. Sighing with relief, he started casting another as he dove towards the man that had plunged his kingdom into war, hoping that if he hit the other magic-user with a spell while simultaneously slashing at him with his sword he might make contact. He didn't expect his opponent to cast a spell quickly enough to throw him out of the saddle before he ever got there, his black dragon screeching and tumbling backwards through the air before landing hard on his back. Managing to land on his feet, he finished the spell and crossed the distance between them, driving his blade into the man's stomach. Blood soaked the black robes around the steel, telling him he'd managed to make contact.

"So nice of you to join us, little brother, I thought perhaps you'd disappeared for good when the lordling said you had run off on them," the druid spoke, drawing the sword out of his body and slamming the hilt into Hayner's stomach.

His knees buckled, but he was certain he caught Naminé's gasp, the slight woman healing the two gunblade wielders and standing between him and Ezra, light tome at the ready. Both the bishop and nearest swordsman's eyes were on him, wide with shock.

"You didn't tell them about me, did you? I suppose I can see why, it must have been difficult for them to trust you simply because of who you are. It would have been nearly impossible to convince them not to kill you if they knew that your brother was the one that killed their parents and brought a continent to its knees."

He grunted in response, lungs still partially paralyzed from the blow.

"Just as talkative as always. To spare me the effort of overpowering you, I'll give you a choice: you can either come with me without a fight, or I take Almasy instead. Either of you will serve my purpose," he added ominously, dark eyes flashing from beneath his hood.

The younger prince didn't even need to look at his companion to know that he was shaking his head, telling him not to surrender. It didn't matter either way, because he was going to.

"Promise to leave Seifer alone and I'll go with you; you know damn well what will happen if you try to go after him yourself again while I'm in the castle so don't even try. I will be able to tell when you leave, and none of your guards will be able to prevent me from taking the castle."

"I find it difficult to believe this stranger would be worth so much to you that you'd use your magic to protect him, yet you've already done so twice and have promised to do so again. I had to push you to the breaking point to convince you to cast even one spell before, and I'm your brother. And now you're willing to give up your freedom for him?"

"I'm willing to use magic and give up the only thing I have left for him because I actually love him," he spat, spared seeing the look on the scarred man's face at this admission by Naminé casting a light spell to try and drive the druid away, forcing his hand.

He was grabbed by the arm and felt the sickening pull of the teleportation spell his brother had used on him only once before, hoping this time when they arrived he wouldn't vomit.

* * *

><p>Staring disbelievingly at the spot where Hayner and Ezra had been just seconds before, he attempted to absorb everything he'd just witnessed. The two were brothers and he felt like an idiot for not making the connection earlier. The crowned prince was Ezra, the name of one of the founders of his country and as such a very common first name, but even though many people had the same name he should have realized that the druid was related to Hayner when the younger prince first used arcane magic.<p>

And Ezra was the person that had tortured the wyvern rider until he used his talent. The druid had kidnapped his brother with what had to be extremely dark intentions, and the sandy-blond had simply let him because he'd threatened Seifer. Because he loved Seifer enough to give up the freedom he'd tried so hard to keep, to allow himself to be taken by the very man that made him run away from his heritage and homeland. He was in the hands of a madman who had no problem inflicting unrelenting pain on him long before he'd ever betrayed Ezra, likely hundreds of miles away in a castle that was going to be almost impossible for them to infiltrate as they were now and without his help.

"We'll rescue him, ya know?" Raijin said, putting a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Unstoppable," Fuu agreed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Naminé healed the lost prince's mount, Asheld roaring dejectedly when he couldn't find Hayner, taking to the air. Kairi flew after him in the hopes of calming him down enough to come back, and Seifer wondered at the fact that he felt just about as lost and angry as the wyvern did. Sheathing Hyperion, he considered the small army he commanded, almost all of them hardened veterans of dozens of major battles at this point. It wouldn't be impossible to travel the miles between them and the castle and seize it by nothing but brute force. Zexion approached him and made eye contact, blank face communicating a startlingly deep trust in his judgment. If he told them to do it, they would, and through sheer tenacity and their tactician's stratagem it might actually be possible that they all survived.

"You all know what you need to do. Break camp, prepare for travel," he ordered, voice cold and smooth.

Naminé's eyes were on him, and he knew why. She'd heard everything as well, though chances were the rest of the group missed it. He'd fill Fuu and Rai in on the important parts, about who Ezra was to Hayner, but he should probably come to terms with the idea that the brown-eyed knight loved him before he went about sharing that information. Feeling the lack of his companion for the past months like a missing limb, he walked stiffly back to his own tent, staring at the armor there for several minutes while he attempted to make a decision on what to do with it. Packing it up along with Hayner's other things, he decided that so long as Asheld could be controlled the wyvern could carry them until his master was recovered.

"He wouldn't have wanted you to blame yourself for what happened," the blonde bishop told him, looking in from just outside the tent.

"Don't talk about him like he's dead," he snapped, realizing he was being vicious a few beats after.

"This isn't what you want to hear, but you need to. We will no doubt be killing not only Ezra but his father, by the laws that govern Wies defeating the previous ruler would make you King. You're going to need to lead two countries, at least until a suitable compromise can be made about who should be granted one or the other, and to do that successfully you're going to have to come to terms with the idea that Hayner could very well be dead by the time we arrive, or be killed in the process of seizing the throne. If you aren't prepared for that you'll be unfit to rule anything, much less a country spiraling into chaos. Even if Squall can handle the lands of all the fallen lords and yours, tens of thousands of lives will depend on you pulling Wies from the brink of ruin."

He blinked, focusing more clearly on the petite woman in front of him. It was out of character for her to take such a hard stance, but he could tell she was only able to be so cold because it was necessary. No one else was likely to stand up to him to tell him what he needed to do other than Squall, and he never listened to his rival anyway.

"I'll do everything I can to make sure that I can perform the duties required of me."

"Good. You know, the brother of the founder of our country tried to murder him and briefly took over the country before he recovered and returned to take his throne back."

"I'm not going to hold the fact that Hayner kept information about the identity of the druid we were fighting against from us against him, if that's what you're getting at. Ezra was right, back then I would have killed him on principle. I would have been wrong to, but that doesn't make it any less true. I'm glad he lied; if he hadn't I would have gotten killed a long time ago because Fuu and Rai aren't knights and they know better than to sacrifice themselves for me."

"Do you-"

"That is entirely none of your business, Naminé. Regardless of my answer, that's between Hayner and myself, no one else," he cut her off, knowing exactly what she was about to ask and wanting nothing to do with that conversation.

She nodded and retreated to let him finish, no doubt having packing of her own to do. Rubbing his scar, he took a moment to steel himself against the idea that once again someone he cared about had gotten themselves killed protecting him. It was probably stupid of him to assume that his parents would be the only ones he lost in this war, but he held out hope that he'd get another chance to talk to the wyvern rider that had saved his life three times so far.

* * *

><p>Groaning, he collapsed as soon as his older brother let go of his arm, the cool stone floor of the throne room a salve to his overwhelming nausea. He couldn't think of a time in the past five years he'd been here without wearing his armor; it used to be that he didn't leave his room without it on because he needed something to hide behind. Yet he'd spent hours outside without it every day since he learned to relax under the pennant he'd come to serve. His kin was going to kill him one way or the other, but at least he got a chance to enjoy himself in between serious injuries, grief, and the sinking feeling of falling into a love he knew wouldn't be easy if it was even possible.<p>

"You've certainly caused me a great deal of trouble, running away like that. As much as it pains me to say it, you're the only one other than me powerful enough to summon the Ebony Dragon. I never needed the older lordling, but I knew you cared about him."

"If I didn't agree you would have killed him and dragged me here half dead. The outcome would have been the same. I took the path of least resistance to an inevitable end. If you honestly think summoning the dragon is going to do you any good, I pity you more than I did already. Seifer's army will destroy him, just as they're going to destroy you, and father if he's even still alive," he added as an afterthought, eyes closed.

There was no reason to try and attack Ezra, to attempt escape, even to push himself up off the floor. Soon enough he would be knocked out and either taken to the dungeon or dragged away to the altar in the forbidden temple at the east end of the mountain the castle was built into, anything he did at this point would be wasted effort. He also couldn't explain how the blow he'd dealt had done so little damage, but he had a feeling his brother had something on him that automatically healed him. Either that or he was so far gone he didn't react to the pain anymore.

"Before you ran off I was planning on allowing you to survive the ritual, it's a shame you had to betray me. All you did was doom yourself."

"You're a fool if you think that living in the cage you created to keep me complacent could be considered living, even surviving. Just stop talking, we're finished. You're not my brother, you're a monster, and nothing could make me happier than to see your end."

To his surprise the soldiers didn't bother to knock him unconscious when they picked him up off the floor; instead merely binding his arms with rope behind his back and carrying him to the dungeon. As soon as he was in the cell he cut it off with a spell, concerned more with comfort than with actually being able to do anything. Minutes or hours later a trio he recognized immediately came to stand outside his cell, and he couldn't hide a wry smile at their looks of concern.

"Aqua, Ven, Terra, it's good to see you're all still alive."

"Same to you, Hayner, though it doesn't seem like you're going to stay that way for long. The spell Ezra is casting takes two days, we can break you out of here and be thousands of miles away by then," Terra explained shortly, the other two keeping watch in either direction.

"You know as well as I do that as long as he has the ability to see the world on a whim and teleport, he'd have me as soon as we landed anywhere. There is something you can do for me, find Seifer's army and help them cut through the castle's defenses. With you three, even if he doesn't get here in time to stop the ritual, at least everyone will get here in one piece."

"Are you sure? We could take you to them."

"Ezra's holding Seifer hostage against me. If I try to escape, Ezra will kill him and inevitably take me back. The only hope we have is that they get here before I'm sacrificed, or at least before the Ebony Dragon gains his full strength. The world is more important than me."

"And so is Seifer?" The brunet pressed, eyes narrowed.

"Yes, so is Seifer," he returned evenly, biting his lip.

The largest of the four wyvern riders' jaw was set in a hard line and he nodded, solemn, before signaling to the others. They quietly said goodbye before taking off at a run, most likely making a beeline for their mounts. Seifer's forces wouldn't be difficult to find, a ragtag band of oddballs was never difficult to spot from the air; he just hoped with the aid of the three knights they could avoid the strongest of his home country's defenses.

Closing his eyes and pressing his forehead to the cool stone next to him, he could sense the slow thrum of the arcane magic his brother was using to start the ritual. He let it lull him to sleep, much as his mother's heartbeat once had.

* * *

><p>It was incredibly fortunate for everyone involved that Asheld recognized the other wyvern riders and careened out to meet them, circling happily around them shortly before they intercepted the main army. Otherwise he would have shot one of them out of the sky on principle unless Zexion's uncanny sense of who is and isn't an enemy kicked in before he could.<p>

"Are you Seifer Almasy? Prince Hayner sent us, he said you needed our help," their apparent leader, a blue-haired woman about Seifer's age, addressed him as soon as they landed.

"That sounds like him, sending away the only rescue he had to ensure our safety. You're correct, I am Seifer. What are your names?"

"My name is Aqua, this is Terra and Ventus. We flew with Hayner before Ezra separated him from us and sent him off to fight alone. We've been instructed to lead you away from the main forces and help you storm the castle. Not to overstate the issue, but we have only a day before Hayner is sacrificed to summon an ancient monster, the Ebony Dragon. While he may survive the initial drain of the ritual, the dragon will almost certainly kill him."

There was an odd ache around his heart, like someone was squeezing it for all they were worth, but he spoke around it, "If there's anything you can do to get us there quicker, even if it's dangerous, I'm willing to try."

"It took us a full day to get here on our wyverns, though we did rest them for a few hours. You're not going to make it there in time on foot, but…Each of us can carry one extra person and their gear, and Asheld has no rider currently. If you and Hayner are as close as I think you are his wyvern will allow you to ride him, at least briefly. You have one other flier, so that means nine people total can attempt to stop the ritual, or at the very least snatch Hayner out of the path of destruction. The rest can take the long way around and decimate the forces within the castle proper. The King will hold the throne, Ezra and Hayner will be in the temple, most likely alone. Bring only the four people you think most capable of defeating both Ezra and the dragon. Your tactician will have to stay behind with the main army. We may end up having to make a run for it after recovering Hayner."

"Zexion, get Kairi, Naminé, Fuu, Rai, and Roxas here and tell them what's happening once you're alone with them," he instructed, knowing the eyebrow quirk was in response to the exclusion of Rinoa.

He had a strong feeling the sage was going to or had already betrayed him, he didn't want her there because she was a huge liability. Squall needed to stay behind to lead the army in his stead, or take over completely if he got all of them killed. With a falcoknight, a bishop, an assassin, a berserker and a hero class on top of four wyvern lords and himself, chances were good that they could hold the dragon at bay. It would only take Seifer and Naminé to deal with Ezra, and the blonde woman could heal Hayner assuming he was still alive when they got there.

"Don't tell anyone where we're going, I don't explicitly trust everyone left in our army at this point. Explain it any way you can or say nothing, but don't let on that we've gone to rescue Hayner on our own. We'll join up when you reach the castle, assuming any of us survive," he instructed the slate-haired man before turning and approaching Asheld.

He held up his hand to stroke the flying lizard's chin, the wyvern lowering its head to look at him before he spoke, "Hey, we're going to get Hayner, will you carry me to him?"

One massive green eye blinked at him, then Asheld bent one leg completely so he was low enough to the ground for Seifer to pull himself into the saddle. Once there he checked to make sure the younger prince's armor was still secure in the saddle bags to each side of him, a lance and a sword also tied to them. Nodding to Aqua, he held on as they all sprang into the sky, her blue and turquoise wyvern in the lead.

* * *

><p>Silenced and tied to the stone altar, it had never occurred to him that the ritual itself didn't involve a blood sacrifice. It seemed so obvious, so cliché, that he never considered the dragon was going to be summoned purely by using him as a source of power to force open the door that sealed the monster within whatever hellish place it had been banished to. He thought it was particularly stupid for it to be arcane magic that opened the door, but then remembered that dark magic users were the huge minority, that light magic could be used by both sages and monks.<p>

It had also never occurred to him that having magic ripped out of his body would hurt, like the brief pang of casting a spell but amplified and seemingly endless. It stopped abruptly and the ground shuddered as the doors opened, revealing a monster that was somehow even more fearsome than the legends had made it out to be. Even Ezra backed away from the altar quickly, and he understood now why the druid had spoken about saving his life. It wasn't the ritual that would kill him, but the Ebony Dragon he was being used to summon. Eaten, torn apart, or burned to death in a black fire; he wasn't sure which option he liked the least. The silence that had been cast on him would last a few more minutes, more than enough time for the massive reptile currently pulling himself out of the swirling miasma beyond the gate to kill him without ever giving him the chance to cut the chains that bound him there and escape. It was admittedly very well-orchestrated.

He'd be hard-pressed to say which of them was more surprised when four wyverns and a pegasus came crashing through the entrance to the temple. Their four passengers dropped to the ground with varying levels of grace, leaving Ventus and Terra to distract the dragon, Kairi and Aqua to strike at Ezra, while Seifer jumped from Asheld's back to land next to the altar. He slashed through the chains holding him down, sword glowing red like it did when he was particularly furious, small gouts of flame running along its edge.

"Seifer, what are you doing here?"

In return he just got a look that informed him the lord was both vastly disappointed with him, and that they were definitely going to be talking about this whenever they weren't in immediate mortal danger. Pale eyes shot over to look at the Ebony Dragon, Seifer grabbing him and pressing both of them to the floor against the stone slab as searing black fire enveloped it.

"Get on Asheld and get the hell out of here, we'll take care of this," his leader instructed, shoving him toward the wyvern as it landed.

Growling, he swung up into the saddle and took off toward the open door, fully intending to not remain out of the line of fire for long. Comforting his mount while putting on his armor, he wondered why the lord would risk himself and everyone he brought with him just to rescue Hayner. Obviously the wyvern lord trio would have no problem with it, but the other six he couldn't explain. Leaving his helmet off because there was no way it was going to be anything but a hindrance he urged his mount back into the battle.

Naminé, Kairi and Seifer seemed to be making short work of his older brother while the others even with the addition of Aqua were struggling to keep the dragon at bay. Waiting for an opening, he dove at the monster and buried his javelin in its eye. The loss of sight and pain didn't even seem to faze the dragon and its fire seared them as they attempted to swoop away. Neither he nor his mount were fatally wounded and the fire didn't seem to burn so much as damage, his clothes weren't singed but his body ached like it had been poisoned.

Left on the defensive, he paid more attention to the movements and patterns his enemy was exhibiting until Naminé could get around to healing his injuries so the next strike wouldn't immediately kill him. It took a few minutes, but he noticed there was a node of some sort in the monster's throat that oozed his black breath, and as he chanced closer he could read runes in the same ancient language his mother had taught him surrounding it. Hefting his strongest lance, he glanced at the others who were similarly trying to avoid taking a direct hit, then back at Seifer.

"Just trust me this one last time, Asheld, and I promise I'll never ask you to do something insane again," he said softly into the wyvern's ear as he climbed onto his neck.

He urged his mount on and stood unsteadily, stepping forward onto the lizard's forehead and springing directly into the opening maw of the Ebony Dragon, driving his weapon into the heart of the black mass in his throat. His mother's voice singing to him filtered through his mind as everything went dark.

* * *

><p>Putting a bullet through the forehead of Ezra had been far more satisfying than he normally allowed, but that sense of fulfillment lasted only seconds when he heard Ventus scream and looked back to see the hulking monstrosity the others had been fighting collapse. It took at least a minute to cover the distance between the two groups but by the time he had he realized the black and green wyvern he'd become so familiar with was missing his rider once again and seemed to be attempting to do something to the Ebony Dragon's head. What first occurred to him was one of the stupidest things Hayner could have possibly done and he was hoping he was desperately wrong.<p>

"Hayner jumped into the dragon's mouth, didn't he?" He quested resignedly to Fuu as they stood and watched the four wyverns struggle with the corpse.

She nodded, single eye a little glassy and lips in a tight line. When she gave him a _look_ he knew she had known about the unresolved feelings between them, was incredibly concerned about how he'd react if it turned out that the prince had really just killed himself to save them.

With Rai's help they managed to get the arcane beast's jaw open and Seifer dove in to grab his missing comrade, deeply worried that he couldn't tell if Hayner was breathing and that there were thick tendrils of darkness seeping out of him. Asheld wrapped himself around the two, effectively preventing anyone from getting to them and covered them with his wings, snaking his head close to his fallen master even though he obviously feared the magic radiating from him. Kneeling against the weakness the exposure was causing, he knew being this close could very well kill him, though whether it had done anything to his companion had yet to be seen. He still had a heartbeat though his breathing was extremely shallow, but he doubted even Naminé could heal him if the magic around him was actually damaging him.

"Hayner? Hay, wake up," he implored, wishing desperately that the knight didn't have such an absurd self-sacrifice complex, but then who was he to talk?

Seconds later the poisonous fog around him dissipated like he had absorbed it and brown eyes fluttered open. Hayner glanced around him and then up at the wyvern and lord that were patiently awaiting him saying anything to prove he was alright.

"That went a lot better than I expected," he announced finally, voice weak.

"You fucking idiot, it's amazing you're not dead," Seifer swore, glaring at him.

"Thank you for that, by the way."

"I still owe you my life a couple of times over, you need to stop taking stupid risks just to protect me."

"It's my job to defend you, and I…Love you too much to let you die," he finished, gaze cast away as he shifted to sit up and move out of the pale-eyed man's arms.

"You're so damn flighty," he snapped, dragging the other back, "Right now we have to go help the main army take down the castle, but we need to talk after the dust settles."

When the sandy-blond didn't respond right away he sighed, pressing their lips together insistently. Words weren't really his thing so the only way he could reassure the prince that he wasn't going to be dismissed completely was by action. They desperately needed to have this conversation now, but unfortunately there was the matter of finishing the war they'd been dragged into to attend before anything else could get done.

"Come on, let's get this over with," he muttered in assent, taking the hand offered once the swordsman was on his feet and pulling himself up a little unsteadily.

Asheld lifted his wings and the trio of knights pounced, dragging their prince into a hug tinged with frustration and relief. Hayner smiled and shrugged them off, vaulting into the saddle and gesturing for his mount to kneel so Seifer could sit behind him. Supposing there was no other way to get off the temple on the top of the tallest mountain overlooking the castle, he climbed up and sat behind the dark-eyed wyvern lord.

"We need to back up everyone as they take the castle, move out!" He shouted over the din of flapping wings as everyone gathered their passengers again.

They paused once they were a few hundred feet away from the temple, the knight in front of him circling his wyvern back around to face the monument. Holding his hand out, he closed his eyes in concentration and a burst of arcane magic flew out of his palm toward the final resting place of his brother and the monster he'd unleashed. As soon as it made contact it erupted into a massive ball of energy that enveloped the entire structure. A horrific grinding sound could be heard as the ancient building and everything in it crumbled to dust, leaving nothing but a gaping scar on the mountain.

"Was that what you absorbed from the dragon?" He asked, leaning forward to speak directly into the lithe man's ear so he could be heard over the wind.

"Yes, some of it," the other answered, sounding weary of the power already.

If that was only some fraction of the beast's power, he shuddered to think of what it could have done if Hayner hadn't have thrown himself into its throat to bring it down. Knowing how close he'd come to losing his companion several times in the past two days made his chest ache, made him question his resolve to see this through if he was going to have to risk both their lives again in the coming battle. If he had his way he'd ensure that no one ever got to even get close to the prince without Hayner's permission, much less actually be able to harm him, but fate wasn't feeling that magnanimous yet.

* * *

><p>It wasn't very difficult to cut through the legions of poorly trained soldiers more faithful to his father than they were to him, but as soon as they reached the inner parts of the castle they came almost to a standstill. He was able to turn the head of the wyvern riders to his side with the help of Aqua and the others and the flying general ordered his soldiers to stand down while he joined the fray, but otherwise the remaining forces were obscenely skilled veterans who had no intention of showing mercy. If it wasn't for Fuujin slitting a paladin's throat with a throwing knife Seifer would have already been killed and they weren't even past the first wave.<p>

Twirling his lance, he made short work of a Valkyrie that was attacking Squall, piercing her through the heart and tossing her body into a nearby general to stagger him. He knew most of these people, and though he felt nothing toward them, it still made the fighting more taxing on his psyche. A sniper that had always held a grudge against him shot an arrow straight into the gap between his breastplate and his armored belt and he lost his balance when Asheld flinched from the attack, slipping out of the saddle and landing hard twenty feet down on his side.

To his surprise it wasn't one of their stave-users that healed him but Seifer, kneeling and pulling the arrow out carefully before dumping an elixir down his throat in an almost perfect parody of their first meeting.

"You know, you still could have just offered it to me, Seifer."

"And I already told you, there's no fun in that."

"Just try not to get your stupid ass killed, moron."

His faithful wyvern snatched him up as they scattered to avoid a blast of fire from an enemy sage and he had to wonder if the mess with the Ebony Dragon had finally convinced Asheld not to be unreasonably afraid of magic. He climbed his way back into the saddle and the man with ice-colored eyes shot the offending magic-user twice, leaving him dead in a pool of his own blood. A quick sweep of the large room they were fighting in revealed the same sniper taking aim at Kairi, Hayner cutting him down with a sword he'd borrowed from Roxas. One by one the enemy's forces fell, and though they were injured, their salves and healers were doing a good enough job that no one on their side had died yet. Zexion was proving once again, and hopefully this was the last time he would ever need to, that superior strategy and the unique quality of their army could win wars without any friendly casualties.

The vast majority of them were varyingly covered in blood, both their own and that of their enemies, by the time they reached the throne room. There in his full battle armor sat the king, lance in his hand. He stood and gestured with the weapon as they neared, the armor making it difficult to vocalize that he was going to go down fighting. Hefting his armor-piercing lance, ironically a gift to him from the very man he planned to kill with it, he halted when Seifer called out to him and ran over to stand next to him. The others waited near the back, close enough to provide assistance, far enough away to give them privacy.

"No one said you had to do this. There's no reason you have to be the one to kill your father."

"The people will accept my ascension to the throne much more readily if I'm the one that defeats the king, rather than if you do it and hand over the country to me."

"Whoever said I was going to give it back to you? Maybe I like the idea of keeping you my subordinate," the scarred man joked, a darkly dominant edge to his words that danced with the idea that he was serious.

"You know as well as I do that when I do submit to you it's by choice, not because of some pressure to follow orders from someone with a meaningless title that happens to still be a rank below mine."

"Are you sure about this? You have nothing to prove to me, or to anyone. Your loyalty isn't in question."

"I know. There are some things that are terrible, but at the same time we must do them because the other option is infinitely worse. I would rather be the one fully responsible for my father's death than live with regret for not doing it and resentment toward the person who did."

With this he urged Asheld forward and into battle with the man who both raised him and betrayed him too deeply to be forgiven while he was still alive. Someone who would have tortured or killed him if asked by Ezra, someone who handed the country over to a madman and burned all traces of goodness left by his wife in doing so. She had dreamed of eternal peace between all the factions on the continent; her dying wish was that Wies never engaged in another foreign war except to protect weaker countries from being invaded.

"You would turn a spear on your own flesh and blood, Hayner?" His father shouted incredulously, much easier to hear at such short range.

"How dare you speak of turning on flesh and blood, when you ignored the dying wish of the woman you loved, when you allowed one son to follow the path to unspeakable evil and betrayed the other to win his favor. I am merely meting out the justice that you have deserved for so long."

He dodged his father's lance and drove his own squarely into the crested breastplate, leaving it there for the last vestige of the evil that had poisoned both him and this country to die around. The wyvern lord wanted nothing to do with the weapon any longer anyway. He felt hollow. Asheld proved once again he was far more intelligent than he let on, shoving the fallen monarch off the steps up to the throne and standing next to it as Hayner dismounted.

"Guess this makes you King now, doesn't it?" Seifer asked, completely ignoring the fact that the royal just killed the last member of his family without batting an eye; he probably understood that that wasn't a topic that he had any business bringing up.

"By blood and by battle, yes. Forgive me if I'm not terribly thrilled. I've got four soldiers loyal to me and an entire country to calm."

"I can't speak for anyone else, but I know for a fact you have at least five people completely loyal to you."

It was clear that the taller male was referring to himself, but he had his own holdings to piece back together along with Squall, "You can't stay here with me, I would never ask you to."

"And that's what I wanted to talk with you about later. But for now, I have something else to deal with. Squall!" He turned and shouted to his rival and old friend, who pulled Rinoa out of the crowd by her arm.

"You were right to suspect her. She confessed to me a few minutes ago. She betrayed our positions, weaknesses, and told Ezra about Hayner's attachment to you. What did you want to do?" The grey-eyed man asked, looking like he was willing to fight to keep her alive.

"How long has she been working with him?"

"Since he destroyed her family, he made her a deal and spared her life. You can't fault her for that, the only thing she did wrong was continue to betray us after the war started and she had people who could protect her. People make mistakes."

"So they do. We managed to thwart the destruction of the entire world at the hands of the madman she aided, so whatever you think is an appropriate punishment for someone who risks the lives of everyone to secure another's favor. Just make sure I never have to see her again."

"Got it. We've got every part of the castle held down and we've started watch shifts. You two get second shift, Zexion told me to pass on that you have a limited time to deal with everything before an announcement of some sort has to be made to the people tomorrow. Many of them are already asking questions."

With that the brunet let go of the woman that had been unfaithful to them from the start and began walking back towards the other end of the hall to join with the others. No doubt he would soon find a quiet place to brood about what to do regarding Rinoa.

"I'm sorry, Squall," she said frantically, walking beside him.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," the lord responded coldly, brushing her hand off his shoulder.

Ignoring the rest of their conversation, he turned back to Seifer, "We could go to my room to talk? As far as the others know it hasn't been touched."

"Sounds better than anywhere else I could suggest."

"You're going to have to ride with me to get there, I had the actual door removed years ago," he explained as he beckoned Asheld over and settled himself into the saddle, offering the other a hand up.

Flying out of the nearest courtyard, they veered around and landed gracefully on the balcony, dismounting and walking in through the massive doors that allowed the wyvern to follow them into the spacious room. It was dusty, proving it had been left alone for some time, but a flap of the beast's wings was enough to remove the dirt from the bed. He started pulling off his armor, using the sleeve of his shirt to wipe most of the blood off his face before tossing it on the floor next to the bed and sitting against the headboard. The scarred man pulled off his coat and shirt as well, missing a bit of blood behind his left ear that Hayner swiped off for him when he sat down as well.

"What did you mean, Seifer?"

"I spoke with Squall following your disappearing act after our sparring match. I realized that I couldn't be happy if I left you here by yourself. It would be like leaving with the job half-done, Wies isn't that much further from collapse and all-out war with the holds of the other countries than it was before; one person can't be expected to hold together a country by themselves. And beyond that, I don't want to leave your side," he added, expression some cross between a smirk and something much softer.

"Do you really understand what you're getting yourself into, or are you going to leave after a few months?"

"I can't promise you nothing will ever change because I try not to make a habit of lying to the people I love. What I can promise is that no matter how bad things get, how strained our relationship might become, all you'll ever have to do to win me back is ask me to stay."

"That sort of power is easy to abuse."

"You've saved my life repeatedly and never once used that debt against me. You allowed yourself to be taken by a madman that had previously tortured you with no hope of rescue just to protect me. People can change once they're in a relationship, but I'd like to think living within a few feet of you for months on end has allowed me to know you well enough to think you're never going to betray my trust. You would sacrifice all that you are to protect me, of the two of us, I would think you would be more worried about having your loyalty abused."

"I have obvious and irreproachable ways of dealing with you if that occurs. If you stay, I will have complete power over you in every realm other than just between the two of us."

"Like I said, I'm not worried," he replied, smirking before leaning over and kissing him deeply.

* * *

><p>The portrait was too incredibly telling to put anywhere but their shared room, but luckily they had posed for it with just that intent. This room was the only place either of them could actually be themselves, be rid of the masks they wore around the rest of the world. The entire continent knew about their relationship, and though most of the people running it had been in Seifer's army and were completely supportive of them and dissent was kept nonviolent, it still wasn't possible for them to be as obnoxious and opinionated as they really were, much less make physical contact of any sort in public.<p>

In the painting Hayner was sprawled sideways across the throne, legs hanging over one end and head tilted back to look up softly at his knight. Seifer himself had twined their fingers together with the arm hooked over the back of the chair and was leaning down to kiss him with only a few inches separating them; even though only half his face could be seen he still managed to radiate an arrogant attitude.

Although other portraits did include the two of them together, it was always with the King sitting stiffly on the throne and staring straight ahead, while Seifer stood looking stoic while resting a hand on his gunblade to his ruler's right, Asheld on the left. It was surprisingly easy to win arguments with smaller lords when he had an angry war hero and a wyvern backing him up. He had garnered himself a reputation as a skilled warrior as well as tales of his exploits during the war spread. Having gone toe to toe with a few patches of Ezra's men in the countryside and summarily destroyed them definitely helped as well.

"What are you thinking about, Hay?"

"Us. How we probably never should have worked out, but here we are a year later and last I knew you still loved me, for some reason."

"For every reason and no reason at all. Are you sure I can't kill Rinoa at her wedding?" The scarred man added, wrapping his arms around his lover and nipping at his neck.

"Just because she almost caused my death and betrayed all of us doesn't mean you can murder her. She made a really poor choice and she has to live with that for the rest of her life. That's punishment enough, isn't it?"

"This is why you're the King and I'm your knight, can you imagine me trying to rule all the holds on the other side of the border by myself until we could find rightful heirs?"

"You would have done fine, Seif. I don't doubt for a minute you could have lead Wies through the fire if I had died."

"I try not to think about the possibility. We almost didn't make it."

Turning to kiss his companion, the chaste contact quickly transformed into tongues shoving against each other while Seifer pinned him to the floor and undid the clasps on his shirt. A knock on the door stopped them before it could progress any further, the blue-eyed man growling before standing and offering his boyfriend a hand up.

"Who is it?"

"Ventus, are you both dressed?" He called through the door, having caught them once in the middle of something that left him blushing for weeks.

"Clothed enough, come in, Ven," Hayner returned, knowing his open shirt wouldn't give the other pause; they were all soldiers after all.

"There are signs of an uprising against Squall in one of his northern holds. It shares a border with us, did you want to send men to help him halt the fighting?"

"Of course. Do you think it requires my direct intervention?"

The other wyvern rider smiled, "You could take all of them down by yourself, milord, I really doubt you need to waste your time with some rabble the newest of our recruits could take down without a hassle."

"Send fliers, make sure any opposition is completely destroyed before the wedding next week. The last thing we need are rebels trying to ruin the occasion. As fun as it would be to destroy an army in full ceremony dress I don't think the bride shares my enthusiasm."

"Understood, I'll make sure you're not disturbed for the rest of the night unless there's an emergency. Goodnight to both of you," Ven said with a salute, shutting the door after they'd returned his pleasantry.

The rest of their clothes were tossed carelessly onto the floor on the path to the bed they shared and Seifer managed to catalogue every aspect of his partner that he adored in-between Hayner's gasps and moans. Curled in his lover's arms after, he realized for the thousandth time just how happy the gunblade-wielder made him.

"Seifer?"

The other hummed by way of acknowledging him before kissing just behind his ear, very obviously drowsy and content.

"Will you marry me?"

"Of course, Hayner, if you'll have me," he answered almost immediately, before leaning over to press their lips together.

He fell asleep feeling inordinately happy and warm and wondering if the announcement would actually surprise anyone.


	76. Piercing

I got lazy with the ending.

Theme provided by: tigerlilith

Rating: T

* * *

><p>076. Piercing<p>

It shocked him when he first saw it, happening to pass by the stupid chickenwuss as he was sticking his tongue out at Olette for something. The tiny green ball in the middle of his tongue was impossible to miss, the sudden thoughts he had regarding it almost impossible not to react to. But now really wasn't the time to confront him about getting his tongue pierced; the topic would just have to wait until he could approach the lithe teen while he was alone and not in an aggressive mood. Which was probably the thirty-third of never so he'd just aim for the former and ignore the latter.

Sure enough, Sunday found Hayner stalking about the Sandlot by himself, clearly waiting to start a fight. Three minutes later and he was on the ground, panting and staring defiantly up at his rival, Seifer's blood dripping onto his face to mix into the viscera already winding a path down his cheeks and jaw. One of these days the older bully was going to get those pupils to blow wide with lust rather than fury. Or so he could hope.

"So, when did you get your tongue pierced, lamer?" He asked, keeping the smaller male pinned for the moment; there was something to be said about captive audiences.

"Few weeks ago, not that it's your fucking business."

"Why, your boyfriend complain that you weren't good enough at blowjobs?"

Something shifted in Hayner's expression, growing more challenging, "If I had a boyfriend he sure as hell wouldn't make that complaint."

The blue-eyed teen blinked, trying to weigh that comment against the ways his opponent usually joked. He was forced to decide that it was likely his counterpart was very seriously coming out to him, sweaty, bruised, bleeding, and with the scarred teen on top of him. The kid always had the ballsiest ways of doing things, it was endearing.

"That so? What if I don't believe you?" He queried carefully, knowing just how well the other responded to taunts.

The smaller fighter slipped his left arm out of the loose hold Seifer had it in and yanked him down by the back of the neck, their lips crashing together hard enough to hurt. Though that could have been his split lip, he supposed, pushing his tongue into Hayner's mouth through the taste of blood and sweat. He ran the slick muscle over the small sphere and was just deciding that maybe he could get used to this when teeth closed around his tongue and he jerked back, halfway through a curse when Hayner flipped them so he was sitting on the scarred blond's abdomen, legs pinning his arms at his sides.

"You are just atrociously easy to distract."

"And you say that like this wasn't part of my plan, chickie."

Dark eyes studied him for a few beats, before he smirked, leaned down, and kissed him again, gentler this time. If anyone was difficult to read it was his rival, and he was completely at a loss. He had no clue how this was brought on, why the other was kissing him, why it had never occurred to him that maybe he didn't have to work so hard at pushing his way into the sandy-blond's life after all.

"You know, it's really inconsiderate to everyone else to let the sexual tension between us continue like this," Hayner said quietly against his lips.

"I suppose it is."

He tilted his head and leaned up, biting down viciously on the tan skin of the skater's neck and drawing a painted noise from the male above him, along with a notable increase in heart rate. The bruise from it was likely going to last a week and be impossible to cover, and he was more than pleased with that.

"Fuck, that hurt, asshole."

"Don't pretend it didn't turn you on, chickadee."

"Never said it-" He started, stopping as he focused on something at the other end of the sandlot.

Fuu was standing stock still, single visible eye flicking between them, face blank. He sat up, Hayner coming to rest in his lap, hand resting against his lower back of its own accord.

"How much did you hear, Fuu?" He asked, carefully forming his sentence so she could easily respond to it with a single word.

"Enough."

"And?" The scarred fighter prompted, the wispy girl one of two people whose opinions about his relationships he gave a shit about.

"Finally," she huffed, hands on her hips and a tiny smile tugging at her lips.


	77. Texture

This prompt and the next one were written with a fever so I'm just going to blame any strangeness on that. This one dances around control and power dynamics.

Theme provided by: stormbringer246

Rating: T

* * *

><p>077. Texture<p>

He'd always wondered what the scar that was slashed between Seifer's eyes felt like. It always looked unusually smooth and it seemed obvious to him that it had been caused by someone with a knife and a steady hand even though he'd never heard the story behind it. The bully had moved to Twilight Town two years ago and the wound was old enough to be a scar then, so he doubted it actually had much to do with the reason he came here.

"Stop staring, Chickenwuss, what the hell is your problem?"

"You afraid I'll see through your foundation or something, princess?" He spat back, snarling when the taller boy entered his personal space, forcing him to look up.

"It's funny, you actually think trying to question my masculinity is going to do something. Guess what, I don't really give a shit."

"Then why are you crowding me into a wall, if it matters so damn little to you?"

"Because I like how you always blush when you're pinned."

He felt his face heat up a second before his back hit the wall of the Sandlot and it didn't fade, swallowing hard when Seifer placed a hand on each side of his head. He wasn't nearly mad enough to hurt Hayner, these particularly intimidation tactics were used only when they weren't going to fight. He'd long ago figured out how the older boy operated and not to be afraid when he did this, or even in general; all it would take is the brown-eyed teen telling him to stop and he'd freeze in the middle of whatever he was doing and walk away like it was some sort of impulse. It was so automatic he'd halted mid-punch during one of their worse fights and left as if he wasn't teeth-grindingly furious. Their relationship involved extremely specific rules and boundaries and Seifer never crossed those, even when his opponent did. Hayner could do essentially anything during their encounters and his rival wouldn't do anything to stop him and there wouldn't be any backlash afterward. Anyone who said Seifer had a temper didn't know anything about him.

Feeling particularly daring today, he pulled the other's beanie off and ran his index finger down the line the scar created. Ice-colored eyes watched him with a hawkish intensity, though the bully didn't move. It was smoother than he actually expected it to be, the texture most likely owing to the weapon that created it. It surprised him that Seifer didn't stop him. Ducking under his arms, Hayner took off through town with the black skullcap, setting it down on his nightstand as the sun finally dipped below the horizon. Looking at it as he undressed and got into bed, he wondered if Seifer was going to demand it back tomorrow.

* * *

><p>Glancing over at his bedside table, he wasn't sure if he was actually surprised or not to find the hat missing, not even a note in its place. He'd let Seifer come over once to work on a project and no doubt the other took that as a standing invitation unless defined otherwise.<p>

"You shouldn't leave your window unlocked, even if you're on the second floor it's not hard to get to," the scarred male commented when they saw each other in the halls, wearing his beanie.

"Maybe I don't mind if certain people can get in through it. Though in the future, it would be nice if they stuck around."

The smirk he got in return was positively dark and possessive, but he wasn't afraid.


	78. Basement

Again, the majority of this was written while I was very sick so the plausibility factor is low but I don't care, I like it anyway.

Theme provided by: WhereDestiniesMeet17

Rating: High T

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><p>078. Basement<p>

"Is there anyone here?" Hayner called out into the darkness beyond his flashlight beam, gun steady next to it as he explored the basement of the building he'd broken into.

There was a clinking sound like metal on metal and he zeroed in on the source, LEDs illuminating a man with eyes that flashed silver-blue in the beam and stared on despite the harsh light. His wrists were chained to the wall above his head and he had several contusions on his exposed chest, no doubt more on his legs beneath the black pants he wore. Blood was smeared across his abdomen from a cut and there was a perfect scar slashed between his bright eyes. Jamming the flashlight in his mouth, he fumbled for the keys he'd taken off the man at the door when he'd knocked him out and approached the muscular blond, unlocking the cuffs around his wrists and starting when a hand wound around his neck.

"You're too trusting, you know," the other said, studying him and glancing down at the gun that still wasn't pointed at him before letting go.

"So are you. Is anything broken? Do you need medical attention?" Hayner replied around the metal, switching gears into professional detective.

No one had to know this was vigilante action, no one had to know he could never get a warrant to do this. What he did in his off time was entirely his business.

"I'm a good judge of character, yes, and no. Who are you?" The injured man asked, plucking the flashlight out of his mouth.

"Hayner Dincht, detective. You?"

"You're off-duty, Hayner, might want to watch your ass over that. Detectives who get into shit they shouldn't have a tendency to disappear in this city. Seifer, captive cage fighter. They're going to kill you if you try to get me out of here."

"Okay," he answered simply, offering him a hand up, wondering why that named sounded familiar.

"How old are you that you're fucking around with the mafia like it doesn't mean anything?" The taller man asked once he was standing, closer to Hayner than two strangers really should be.

"I'm twenty-four."

"Any family?"

And if that wasn't a dangerous question, but at least his answer was both safe and truthful, "Dead. Breast cancer and murder respectively. No siblings."

"Girlfriend? Boyfriend?"

He smirked, this guy was sharp as hell, "Neither, gave up on that when I got into this hobby. Are you done determining how expendable I am? I'd really like to get the hell out of here with you in tow if that's possible."

"Your funeral, pretty boy."

"Are you already forgetting who has the gun in this situation?" He snapped, disliking the derogatory remark.

Seifer smiled and twisted the gun out of his hand expertly, slamming him into the wall with the flashlight against his windpipe tight enough to stir panic in his stomach. There didn't seem to be any malice in the fighter's face though, just amusement.

"Learn to take a compliment. You want to go out the back way, or kill our way through the thugs that are already at the entrance and discovering the body of the guy you took out on your way here?"

"Why did you waste your breath asking me that question? Lead on," he answered as soon as the pressure was off his throat, wondering if letting the other maintain possession of the firearm was a good idea.

"Stay behind me, keep this thing off," Seifer retorted, flicking the light off and pressing it into his hand before walking further into the building.

As soon as they hit fresh air he pulled his coat off, knowing it was loose enough to fit the man almost twice his build, pushing it at him insistently. Blue eyes studied him again before he pulled it on and handing the gun back over to its rightful owner.

"Where do we go from here, detective?"

"Don't call me that, asshole. My house, unless you've got a better idea. I've got some basic first aid training, I can at least bind your broken ribs."

"I mentioned how the mob is going to murder you if they find out that you let me go, right? I didn't forget that part?"

"Look at all the fucks I give, Seifer. My dad was a cop, lived his entire life keeping his nose out of shit, and he was still killed by the mob for being a cop. Never got involved with them, but it didn't matter, if you weren't dirty you were dead. I might as well try to make a difference before their scopes land on me. If my actions make that happen faster, who the fuck actually cares?"

"I like you, chickadee."

"You really shouldn't," he bit back, walking out into the snow and toward his apartment on the opposite end of the city.

His car was six blocks from here and ideally they'd make it home in one piece. Whether they'd survive till morning was always a gamble, but he liked the life he lived. Following the rules didn't matter in this city, you'd die in a gutter either way, so he preferred to do whatever the hell he wanted and tell the consequences to fuck themselves. If he actually cared about his well-being he could have just moved.

"Mind if I use your phone when we get there? I have someone I need to call."

He frowned, knowing how badly this could go, "Sure."

"How did you survive this long being so trusting of complete strangers?"

"Not sure, but I did, so that must count for something."

He tossed the other man his cell once they were inside the small apartment and went into the bathroom to gather the things he needed to patch his new roommate up. It was surreal, knowing that he was going to be living with a cage fighter until he could spirit Seifer away to somewhere safer or one or both of them got killed. At least the other didn't seem likely to hurt him, he seemed far too fascinated by the detective to do anything so stupid.

"Yeah, see you soon, love you, Nam," the scarred man said before ending the call and handing the phone back to him.

"Girlfriend?"

"Little sister."

"Mind sitting on the couch so I can make sure you're not going to bleed to death in your sleep?"

It was incredibly homoerotic to be straddling the man on his couch and touching his bare chest, but he avoided blushing by concentrating on what he was supposed to be doing instead of how this looked. Most of the damage was cosmetic; it had to hurt like hell but it wasn't serious. The cut was sluggishly bleeding still and he made a butterfly bandage to keep it closed before wrapping Seifer's entire torso with just enough tension to prevent him from moving in a way that jarred his three damaged ribs. As soon as he was done he felt the other trailing a hand down his back until he stopped at the mark carved just above his left hipbone. He choked on the memories the touch brought back and found himself at the other end of the room before he consciously thought about escaping.

"Don't fucking do that to me."

"You really did paint a target on your chest, didn't you, Hayner?"

"It's none of your goddamn business."

"Let me guess, you were there when they killed your dad, and you agreed to let them carve that into you and pretended you'd be loyal to them so they wouldn't off you right away. And now you're doing everything you can to destroy them before they take back the life they spared. Or are you really loyal to them and all this was a trap?"

"Wha-what do you mean, trap? What the fuck could I possibly gain by rescuing a captive and returning him to the people I took him from?"

"You really don't know anything."

"No, I fucking don't."

"Sorry for suspecting you then. C'mere, chickadee, you cut your hand when you fell back on the table."

"What's with the nickname?" He queried as he hesitantly approached the other and let him wrap his injured palm.

"Chickadees are tiny, unassuming, fairly quiet, and capable of squirreling themselves into the tightest places without anyone noticing. You've managed to stay completely below the radar while tearing the place up something awful. Plus, you're cute."

He scoffed, wishing the attractive fighter would stop coming onto him without meaning it. His offer of food was turned down, his new roommate saying he wasn't hungry and Hayner too tired to push the issue. Glancing at the clock, he walked over to the threshold to his bedroom and asked if Seifer would rather sleep next to him or on the couch. Of course the larger of the two was okay with sharing the bed, lying back to back with him and seeming to think nothing of it.

"Sleep well, Hayner, while you can."

"Yeah, sleep well, Seifer. In the morning try to say fewer ominous and vaguely threatening things."

"I'll do my best."

* * *

><p>"I need you to stay calm," the blue-eyed man told him, hand over his mouth so he couldn't scream.<p>

Glancing around the room quickly, he heard the helicopter just before its searchlight beam traveled across the expanse of the room opposite the window. There were flashing red and blue lights, enough of them to be seen even from the second floor. Breathing deeply, he made eye contact with the other and he let the detective breathe normally.

"Who exactly are you?"

"You know the name Almasy?"

"You mean the fucking President?"

"She's my mom. I was abducted two months ago and they've been using videos of my matches to taunt her while moving me from one building to another. The army is here to retrieve me. They're going to be kicking down your door in a few seconds, again, I need you to remain calm and stay behind me. Got it?"

"You act like I have some other choice."

"Sorry," he answered with a shrug, standing and walking over to the doorway to the living room and waiting for him to get up.

"How did I not know you were missing?"

"National security issue, was kept quiet outside the higher brackets of the military. No one expected standard cops to be able to find me if the fucking CIA and FBI couldn't. I'm sure they're going to be thrilled a young, off-duty detective was the one who rescued me."

"I'm going to lose my job, aren't I?"

"Yeah, probably. I assume we can work something out for you in D.C., being a national hero looks good on a resume."

"This can't possibly be my life."

Anything Seifer said was drowned out by the door splintering as a spec ops team filtered in, weapons trained on both of them as the older man resolutely kept shielding his counterpart. They relaxed and lowered their guns after a few seconds, one of the men reaching out to grab him before Seifer stopped him.

"I'm gonna need you to not touch him ever, understood?"

"Sir, until he's screened he represents a direct threat."

"Let me rephrase that, you touch him and I throw you through the fucking window. Do you understand now, soldier?"

"Sir-"

"That will be quite enough, operative, you are wasting everyone's time and putting this extraction in danger far more than an unarmed twenty-something who has already shown his goodwill," a woman with bobbed blonde hair said as she strode into the room, obviously a high-ranking member of the secret service.

"Elena, is it alright if he rides with me?"

"If it will get you on that helo any faster then by all means," she answered the president's son easily, gesturing for the two of them to follow her while the other men fell in line around them.

"Are you well enough to handle the two hour plane trip to the capital? We already have a hospital area there secured."

"I'll be fine, I just want to get home before one of us gets shot."

"A worthy endeavor," she replied demurely, offering both of them coats as they boarded one of the many helicopters in the area, this particular one managing to find a clear patch of street to land in.

"Hayner Dincht, twenty-four, graduated from the academy two years ago, working as a detective for the NYPD. Correct?"

"Yes," he answered, trying his best to maintain eye contact with the fierce woman across from him in the transport apparently pulling up his information on a tablet.

"It's a very serious offense to break into a building and assault someone without a warrant and while you're not on-duty. You're going to lose your job and likely face prosecution."

"I could not possibly care less."

She blinked and narrowed her eyes at him, assessing. Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, she typed something quickly and then looked back up at him.

"All charges against you have been pre-emptively dropped under the assumption you were using necessary force and entered the building only after hearing a gunshot."

"That's a blatant lie."

"Like you, Hayner, no one cares. You saved the President's son without even knowing who he was, get used to the idea that everyone is going to want your autograph no matter your actual reasons for being in that building tonight. Also, I'm your boss now. You're not safe in New York after this, and you're too good to die of a mob bullet. Welcome to the Secret Service, Mr. Dincht, you're now our youngest member. Don't let me down."

At his look of sheer terror her expression softened a bit and she added that she'd train him well enough that he couldn't. Seifer put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him closer and he really wished he could get a better read on the guy. This flirting had to stop if they were going to work together professionally; he was pretty sure you couldn't sleep with the person you were supposed to be protecting. Maybe there was a handbook: When not to Sleep with the President's Son.

* * *

><p>After being transferred to a military jet, he slept the rest of the distance to the airstrip where they'd be taken by yet another helicopter to the hospital where most likely they were going to flip their shit over Seifer's injuries and tut over his cut palm once someone realized he existed and stitch him up. He shut off as soon as they got to the large white building, going through the motions and trying to stay out of everyone's way. Forcing himself not to flinch when they tore open his hand so they could stitch it back together properly, he hoped he'd be allowed to actually sleep sometime soon. As far as he could tell, between the plane ride and when he'd been sleeping before the whole world ceased to make sense he'd gotten a total of four hours and that was simply not enough rest to deal with this shit on.<p>

"Mr. Dincht, we're leaving. They have Mr. Almasy stabilized and we're moving both of you to the White House proper," Elena explained, voice holding no room for negotiation.

"Aren't you concerned about me being there?"

"You're unarmed and will remain that way until you've completed your training and any of my agents as well as Seifer himself could overpower you long before you managed to do any damage. Besides, you're going to be famous by tomorrow, if you wanted to defect back to the mob you've chosen a very bad way to maintain a low profile."

He nodded and followed her mutely, still wondering how this could be happening. Seifer sat next to him in the SUV, one of many that were escorting them back to his home. He supposed they must have shut down the entire route, because he didn't see another car for the whole stretch.

"You alright, chickadee?" The taller blond asked as they walked into the building Hayner was certain he'd never get to see from close up, much less inside.

"Of course, you?"

"Just fine," he returned just before a blonde woman around Hayner's age ran into his arms, careful of his broken ribs.

"I never thought I'd see you again, you asshole, I'm so glad you're safe," she said into his shoulder as he hugged her.

"Can't get rid of me that easily, Nami. This is Hayner, the guy who found me. Hayner, this is Naminé."

She looked over at him and walked up to shake his hand, a bright smile on her face. Seifer was watching their interaction closely, measuring. Naminé noticed how quickly his attention was diverted to her older brother and flashed him a small smile and leading him to believe he was being way too obvious.

"You're young for a detective, aren't you?"

"Yeah, though I guess I'm technically young for a secret service operative now instead," he corrected sheepishly, still watching the other man out of the corner of his eye.

"Elena already recruited you? She's even more aggressive than Tseng when it comes to hiring, I'm surprised she let you in so quickly. Then again, you already have a lot going for you in the references department."

"Is mom around? I wanted to talk with her before I went back to bed."

"She's where you'd expect her to be, preparing a speech to explain the situation and your safe return. I'm sure she'd like to meet Hayner too."

"Want to meet the President, chickadee?"

He swallowed, "Sure, so long as you don't call me that in front of her."

A smirk was all the answer he got, following the other through the maze inside to the Oval Office, where he immediately felt nervous and hilariously underdressed. Sibyl Almasy didn't seem to care either way, standing to hug her son around his neck to avoid the entirety of his damaged torso. She ran a hand through his hair and quietly expressed concern over his physical state, eyes soft as she looked him over. Averting his eyes as Seifer repeatedly reassured her that he was fine, he studied the décor disinterestedly.

"You must be Hayner, on behalf of the nation I'd like to commend you on your bravery in the face of organized crime," she began, shaking his hand before continuing, "And as a mother I want to thank you for saving my son."

She pulled him into a gentle hug and he stood still, not sure what the hell to do. As soon as she stepped away she smiled at him and then glanced back at her son.

"Are you going to be alright showing him to one of the guest bedrooms, or did you want me to make one of the agents do it?"

"I keep telling you I'm fine, I can show him. Sleep well, mom, love you."

"Love you too, Seifer."

He kept pace with the larger man as they headed to yet another door that seemed like all the others, two agents standing outside of it and giving him strange looks. It seemed clear this wasn't a guest bedroom at all and he didn't get it until they both entered and the lights came on; Seifer had lead him to his living area. Walking in enough so the blue-eyed man could shut the door behind him, he quirked an eyebrow questioningly.

"Sleep next to me tonight?" He asked, arrogance clear in his voice but something almost vulnerable in his expression.

"You don't owe me anything, you know that, right?"

"I do, request still stands."

"I'd like that, then. I have nightmares, though."

"I know. It's okay, I do too."

Seifer left to eat something and he sat on the bed and considered whether it would be rude to be already asleep by the time he returned. Shrugging, he pulled off his coat and shirt, kicking off his shoes and curling up on one side of the bed. He was too tired to care, and if the scarred man had something urgent he needed to say, it was easy enough to wake the detective back up.

* * *

><p>"It's okay, chickadee, you're safe. Calm down," Seifer muttered quietly while he held the lithe man down, pinning him.<p>

It took him a few seconds to come out of the nightmare enough to realize that this was the real world; that the stunning man he'd found in a basement and turned out to be the President's son had offered to share his bed. He breathed as deeply as he could, hoping he didn't accidentally punch the other or do anything else mortifying. He probably had.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"You were screaming. Woke me up from a nightmare. Mutually beneficial, it's fine. Are you okay? You know, sleeping medication might help with that."

"I can't. Before it was because I might get called in the middle of the night, now because I'd be a liability."

"You do understand we have guards here, right? This is one of the most secure locations on the planet, I could be sleeping on the front lawn and I would be totally safe. I was taken from a nightclub, not spirited away from my bed."

He quirked a smile, knowing it was an inappropriate thing to say but vocalizing it anyway, "But then who will wake you up from your nightmares?"

The man on top of him just stared at him for a few beats before leaning back and taking his hands off Hayner's shoulders, shaking his head. He was still straddling the ex-detective and it was really distracting how warm he was even where they weren't touching.

"I don't get you," Seifer said finally, looking at him curiously.

"I think it's really funny that you consider _me_ enigmatic."

"You are. Why do you spike your hair up like that, when already your age is repeatedly brought up as a sign of incompetence? Why didn't you just stick with the mob and try to keep yourself alive like everyone else with that mark? And why the hell would you rescue a chained up cage fighter and offer him shelter in your home when he already mentioned that doing so would result in inevitable and swift death?"

"Because before this I never had a future. Ever since my dad got killed three years ago I never really considered what I was going to do beyond the next day, other than become a detective. Even then, that was mostly because if I dropped out of the academy and suddenly a lot of mobsters showed up dead and buildings were broken into it would be too easy for someone to connect the dots. I didn't care about advancing my position so I kept spiking my hair up, I didn't work for the mob because I wasn't interested in prolonging my life, and I helped you because you needed help and I had nothing to lose."

"You know my mom's a war veteran, right? My dad was too, only difference is he got called back out when I was twelve and mom stayed home because there was no one to take care of us. He died when I was fifteen. I was as fatalistic as you for a while, I got into gang fights, I even killed some people to defend myself. Then my mom became a senator and I had to stop; I realized my actions were putting everyone around me at risk. It doesn't ever make you feel better, does it? To fight back; it just makes you angrier and more empty. You've just been giving up everything you have going for you because you think all you have is the next mission. I appreciate what you've been doing, I'm grateful for what you've done for me, but I really need to you stop giving up on yourself."

"Why?"

"Because I really want to get to know you, and I can't if you manage to get yourself killed."

"Nothing to know, Seifer."

"Such a bad liar, Hayner," he answered sadly before leaning back down, hovering just above the brown-eyed man's lips before kissing him when he received no complaint.

It only took a few seconds for the kiss to move from chaste to hungry, tongues sliding together as he fisted a hand in the other's light blond hair to hold him close. He knew they shouldn't be doing this, especially not if they were going to see each other every day.

"A one-night stand is going to make this incredibly awkward for both of us," he explained when the other pulled away to undo the button on the slighter man's pants.

"You're right," he admitted before flashing a smirk and biting Hayner on the neck while tugging down his zipper, "So we should make it more than a one-time thing, huh?"

He wasn't sure if he could have combated that logic when he was fully alert and not aroused, but he sure as hell couldn't in his current state. It was going to be excessively difficult to explain away the bite marks the blue-eyed man was leaving on him, and he doubted he'd have any success convincing Elena that they weren't what they looked like.

* * *

><p>Seifer appeared to be a fairly heavy sleeper when he wasn't in the throes of a nightmare or listening to someone crying out in their sleep right next to him. He didn't rouse when Hayner stroked his hair away from his face or traced patterns down the parts of his back that he could reach, face blank and peaceful as he slept with his lips slightly parted. It was odd to think that he was older than the two of them, when he was calm like this it seemed more like he was the same age as the ex-detective or younger.<p>

A knock at the door pulled him from his musings, and he was suddenly glad they had both put their boxers back on after cleaning up last night. Elena strode in and one of her eyebrows shot up as soon as she saw the two of them.

"I suspected something when the agents said you went into Mr. Almasy's room and never came back out, but I must say I'm surprised. He normally doesn't allow his temporary partners to sleep over."

"Keyword: temporary. Morning, Elena. How pissed off are you that I seduced your new recruit? I have to assume there's some rule against this somewhere," Seifer retorted as he sat up, apparently having woken at the sound of her voice.

She rolled her eyes, "Don't even pretend you care about the rules, Mr. Almasy. As far as I'm aware there isn't a clause on what to do when the President's son seduces a secret service operative because it's never happened before. However, with how much of a security risk you pose when you go to nightclubs to pick up random men or women, I suppose this is an improvement, especially considering you were kidnapped during the last time. At least if you're dating Mr. Dincht you won't have a need to leave the grounds as often. However, I am not going to fire him just because you got bored of him, you're going to have to attempt to act like an adult if you sever romantic ties. And Mr. Dincht, I will not tolerate any laziness from you, don't think I won't get rid of you even if you are dating your charge if you show signs of behavior unbefitting your position."

"Fair enough, how long do I have to wait to tell mom that I'm dating a guy I've known for one day? I don't know how stressful her current schedule is."

"You should probably wait a week, until the press over your kidnapping has blown over. Also, dating a guy you've known for a week sounds a lot better. Get ready, you both need to appear on camera in four hours."

"Yes ma'am," they answered in completely unintentional unison and she shook her head before turning on her heel and walking out.

"So you weren't joking about that being more than a one-night stand, huh?"

"Do I seem like the kind of guy to lie about that just to sleep with someone?" He quested, leaning in to kiss his apparent boyfriend and smirking at all the marks he'd left.

"No, I just assumed you'd realize what a horrible idea it was when you woke up. You know next to nothing about me, and I'm not that easy to get along with."

"I'm willing to try, are you?"

"Yeah, I actually really am," he answered, giving the other a soft smile.

Maybe there was something to be said about having a future after all, if he had someone to share it with.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: Brace yourselves, finals are coming. I may or may not be heard from for a while from here on out, just so you know. Love you all, and thank you for the continuing reviews~


	79. Traveler

Prompt itself is minimally involved, but I haven't heard complaints on my interpretations yet, so I'm just going to go with it.

Theme provided by: stormbringer246

Rating: High T

* * *

><p>079. Traveler<p>

Though the words had come from lips fifteen years dead, he still remembered well when his mother had told him never to deny a person who asked something of him that he could provide, because he had been handed many things that beggars could never manage to earn through years of ceaseless toil. Though the lithe young man in front of him was far from a beggar, he still felt obligated to help him. Soaking wet, he had apparently been forcibly kicked out of his shared tent and into the rain by another soldier who was sleeping with a local girl for the night. Seifer was going to have someone discipline the man responsible for this issue severely in the morning, but for now, there was really only one thing he could do.

Allowing the smaller blond in, he tossed a change of clothes at him and a blanket, brown eyes blinking at him curiously as he laid back down in his bed ungracefully. He didn't even know the soldier's name, didn't recall seeing him on the battlefield a week prior, but that didn't mean anything. In an army ten thousand strong, one face wasn't going to be familiar unless they were already close to their leader or had done something truly spectacular. This man would probably be remembered as the drowned rat that showed up at his tent asking for a place to sleep. There were certainly worse fates.

"What's your name?" He asked, not facing the man he fully expected to be stripping out of his soaking wet clothes.

"Hayner."

"And the other half?"

"You'll have forgotten by the end of tomorrow, General Almasy."

It was strange of a soldier to be enigmatic and it set him slightly on edge, but he'd already confirmed that he wasn't armed and he'd be damned if a small man like Hayner could kill him without a blade, even if he was sleeping.

"How did you come to join the army?"

"I was a traveler for a while, then I came upon you and decided to take up your cause. No reason not to, it wasn't like I had anything else going for me at the time."

"If you stick around, I'm sure you could find a way to make me remember your name in the coming weeks."

"Rest well, General," the sandy-blond replied shortly.

He shrugged and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Licking his lips to catch the last taste of rainwater on them, he watched the sleeping general's back as he breathed deeply. It surprised him how little effort he had to put into securing his place in the man's tent, but it certainly made things easier. Checking the dagger secured to his inner thigh, he laid quietly in the dark and regulated his breathing to mimic sleep. This was what he came all this way to do, and he was damn well going to do it, easy or not.<p>

It didn't take but an hour for the would-be assassin to steal into the tent, walking up to the bed and pulling out a dagger. Standing and pulling out his own knife swiftly, he plunged the blade into the man's chest and took them both to the floor. He shouted something about his faction and some standard phrases relating to the inevitable loss of Seifer's army as the General himself watched him bleed out and die. Ice-colored eyes shifted focus to his savior once the enemy assassin stilled, facial expression betraying surprise and sleepy gratitude despite the low light.

"Are you injured, Hayner?" He asked, voice rough from sleep.

"No, I'm fine, General. What do you want done with him?"

"I'll need to discuss this with my commanders immediately, stay here, would you? And, call me Seifer. You saved my life, I think you're allowed to skip the title."

He flashed a small smile that he doubted the other saw and watched him leave the tent; thankfully it wasn't raining any longer. Certain he was alone, he tore the soul out of the failed killer and sent it to the afterlife where he'd deal with it later. That particular soul was likely to be devoured by one of his reapers as the soul of anyone who lives and dies without honor isn't allowed into the afterlife or back into the world. Looking forward, he saw the glory that awaited Seifer clearly, where before it had been obscured by the dark mists of death. He had accomplished what he absolutely needed to, but he wasn't ready to leave yet. This errand hadn't been entirely out of his desire to see a worthy person fulfill their grandest destiny; there was a far more selfish component to it than that.

"Drag him out and leave him in the mud for the crows to pick over," the scarred man instructed the two guards who walked into the tent behind him and lifted the corpse.

"Seems as though you've found a way to make me remember you, Hayner. Since you joined this army without giving your surname, I have to assume that's a piece of information I have to earn, if it's attainable at all. You prefer the bow and shortsword, correct? Come morning, bring your things and your horse to my tent, you'll be riding with me and sleeping in my tent from now on. Anyone loyal enough to fling themselves at an armed assassin to protect me is someone I'd like to keep close."

"How do you know I'm not going to try and kill you myself?"

The taller man canted his head to the side, assessing before returning, "The same way I know there's something very odd about you. I'm not sure how or what it means, but you're different."

He hadn't really expected the general to be quite so sharp regarding things of otherworldly nature, but if he recalled the man's mother from when he'd spoken to her soul she had been a devout believer in gods, death, and the importance of recognizing both when they appeared before you. She had been killed when he was ten, but either she instilled her morals and superstitions into him in the short time they were together or he had actually been blessed by an angel of some sort to be able to see supernatural powers.

"You're older than you look."

"Maybe. Depends on how you measure."

Seifer pursed his lips but didn't press the issue further, not feeling a close enough bond with him yet to test his limits, "Try to get some rest, Commander."

Apparently he had gotten a promotion from near-worthless soldier to one of Seifer's inner circle simply by virtue of protecting him. He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, the man valued loyalty above all else. Hayner could admit that he was Death in the flesh right now and it would earn him less respect than his previous actions. The brown-eyed man quite enjoyed that idea, actually.

"Please, just call me Hayner," he answered as the other laid back down to sleep once again.

It couldn't be seen, but he could sense the other's smirk as he laid back down and actually attempted to lose consciousness for a while. Though he was still immortal, his human form grew heavy and sluggish when he didn't sleep, eat, breathe, or do any of the other things necessary for people to survive for an extended period of time, so he tried to rest when he could. Plus, if he never did any of those things it would take a week or two at most for someone to discover his true nature or something close to it. This way he could ideally keep everyone in the dark until he chose to tell the general.

"So how _did_ you hide that knife so well?" Seifer asked before either of them had had time to fall asleep.

"You only know when people have concealed weapons because they act strangely, move differently, avoid the area they're in to try and keep from calling attention to them. I've been wearing that knife there for a very long time, so you could have never known I had it on."

"I'm certainly glad you're on my side, Hayner."

He smiled slightly to himself; he was too. To have to take down a beautiful soul, this man whose future was bathed in gold and blood and strife and joy, would have upset him for at least a quarter century. And no one liked it when Death was morose.

* * *

><p>"It's almost as if Death himself rides beside you, General Almasy," a foreign king of some import that was going to die in four years said, both his and Seifer's eyes flicking over to regard Hayner.<p>

It was still hard to tell how much his leader knew and how much he simply suspected, though the other man's interest in him warranted treading lightly until he understood it. They'd be staying here, courting favor for food and other supplies for several days, plenty of time to either be discovered or lay his fears to rest. There were always trinkets and meddling forces that could allow him to recognize Hayner for what he really was, or it could be nothing but a turn of phrase that happened to be accurate. The glance could have been the King noticing who among Seifer's army was allowed to greet foreign leaders with him, with Fuu and Rai watching the camp and keeping the order in the army the task of protecting their General had been left to him alone. The tall blond man could have just been following his gaze. The entire thing _could_ have been coincidence, but he'd lived far too long to just assume it was.

"I'm not sure about Death, but Commander Hayner has certainly saved my life several times and slain hundreds of enemies on the battlefield. I'm certain there is no archer that can shoot truer."

"Perhaps a friendly wager, then? Your commander against my son in a test of marksmanship, if your man wins, I will supply you and your army with everything you need, if my son wins, it will be much more difficult to win my favor."

Seifer looked at him, leaving the choice up to him. The General never made his decisions for him, orders were to be obeyed but he rarely made anything he said off the battlefield into such, especially with Hayner. They'd developed a strong respect for one another, so the scarred man didn't force him to do things, and he didn't rub the fact that his leader owed him his life several times over in Seifer's face.

"I'd take that bet. Shall we do it now? The sun will set in a few hours and if it's dark I can assure you the contest will be a rout."

"My son has the best vision at night in the entire country, if you are so confident you are better, we should test your skill at night. I will have the field prepared and you will be summoned when everything is ready. No matter the outcome, I am certain this will be a grand story to tell."

"Surely," the blue-eyed man returned, turning to face his companion when the King left.

"Are you going to toy with him, or embarrass him outright?"

"Which would you prefer?"

"The latter, you dislike showing off, may as well spare you having to drag it out."

"You're not concerned I'll lose and leave you at a disadvantage?"

"The one thing you have never done is disappoint me, and even if you lost, if not for you there would be no army, no war to take back the lands we'd lost, no one for you to be having this conversation with. So no, I am not concerned," he explained warmly, hands on Hayner's shoulders and a small smile on his face.

* * *

><p>The Prince was a muscular young man who was a few inches shorter than him and extremely proud. He insisted on deciding the distance for the target first, setting it impressively far back and managing to land his bolt just within the center circle. Compared to most, he was a superior archer. Unfortunately, in the eons since the start of his consciousness, Death had never been beaten at archery. He smiled to himself as he ordered the guards to carry the target back, further and further, until no sane man would think he could even reach it, much less strike accurately. There were scoffs as he walked onto the field, keeping track of the target in the dark despite the near complete lack of light from the stars; the night had never held any mystery for his eyes.<p>

Aiming his bow to the sky, he calculated and waited for the wind to die down as he drew the string back. It was risky, but he'd never missed before, closing his eyes before letting the arrow fly upwards in an arc. Using angles and gravity to his advantage was the only way to achieve such a distance, and his heightened hearing caught the telltale sound of the arrowhead burying itself in the oak of the target. A guard's torch revealed it to have landed just an inch off dead center, several inches closer than his opponent's had. The Prince would have to either set the target back another five paces or land his arrow closer than his challenger had to advance the match.

"I cede. Commander Hayner, your skill with a bow is truly the work of gods. I am honored to lose to you."

"Thank you for the honor of challenging you," the brown-eyed soldier said after a second to remember their customs.

"I was right, this will indeed be a story talked about for many weeks, perhaps years. Tomorrow we will finalize the delivery of your supplies, General, for now I expect you will want to retire?"

"Yes, that sounds excellent. We will speak again tomorrow, rest well, and find peace in your dreams."

"To you as well, and you, Commander."

They cut a quick path back to the castle and into their shared room. It had been roughly a month since they started sleeping back to back in the same bed, and already it had passed the point where they even bothered to discuss it. Pulling off his heavier clothing to leave just his undershirt and pants, he climbed into bed just after his counterpart, pressing against him.

"So, were you ever going to tell me?" Seifer asked vaguely as he yawned, still facing the wall.

"Tell you what, exactly?"

"That you were Death walking the Earth in human form?"

He felt his heart skip a beat, and he breathed out slowly, not sure how to answer.

"When did you know for sure? Did the King tell you?"

"I've had my suspicions for a while, but yes, he let me wear his amulet for a few seconds while you were destroying the arrogance of his son. It shows mortals the true form of supernatural beings. You have beautiful wings, and I wish you wore the armor all the time."

"You don't sound very…upset."

He made a scoffing sound and sat up, turning toward his ever-present commander. Normally hard eyes had softened to something nearly warm as he regarded the archer, that small smile reserved specifically for him on his face.

"I'm sure you have your motivations, but nothing will change the fact that you've saved my life repeatedly. You even allow me to order you around on the battlefield. I'm not sure what you find so special about me, but I'm honored that you're here with me. It does make things…complicated, though."

"What do you mean, complicated?"

"I've fallen in love with Death, I'm not sure how it could be more complicated," the General answered ruefully, glancing up with an expressing that betrayed his sense of foolishness.

"I don't find that particularly complicated. Isn't it still just the age-old issue of whether I care for you back?"

"I suppose I hadn't considered that an unbelievably ancient force of nature could fall in love with a mortal man," he quipped back, curious more than anything else.

"Sure, call me old when you ask me if I love you back, what a bloody romantic. I came here for a reason, you know, I came here for you. That assassin, the one I killed the first night we met, he would have killed you otherwise and destroyed everything that you would become. I haven't spent time outside of the afterlife in almost a thousand years, and the last time I sought human companionship…He left me for someone else. I don't blame him, after all, who would want to stay with Death when they could-"

Chapped lips pressed against his harshly, tongue sliding into his mouth seconds later. Seifer was little if not fierce and passionate, and that seemed to extend to the way he kissed. It took Hayner's breath away by the time he was finished, lips reddened and bruised.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence. Don't you fucking dare sell yourself short because someone didn't know what he had when he let it go."

"Seifer…I love you, can you love me long enough to promise me forever, even if you don't mean it?"

"If I ever promise you anything, I mean it."

He smiled slightly, "I believe you. Don't break my heart."

"I wouldn't dream of it."

* * *

><p>"They've taken the entire city hostage. While we were away, they escaped from the capitol and invaded our home…They not only demand the surrender of what they claim is theirs, but your personal surrender as well," one of Seifer's commanders said, looking at his General as if trying to find the solution in his face.<p>

"First they take our homeland, then when we reclaim it, they scurry like rats back to our unguarded women and children and act like they have any right to what they ask for," he spat, wishing he had an answer for the man, or any of the people he led.

Hayner was frowning deeply, dark eyes troubled. He wasn't sure if they needed to speak alone, or if what he had to say could be spoken among the friends gathered in his tent.

"What do you think, Hayner?"

"No matter what we do, there will be massive casualties, both in the army, and of the innocents. The only way to limit the amount of bloodshed is to trick them by surrendering. You'd still die, though. What would you have us do, General?"

"I will have made my decision by dawn tomorrow. For now, we need to rest and prepare. All of you, you know what you need to do. Hayner, with me."

The other commanders dispersed, Fuu and Rai standing and waiting the longest before nodding at their old friend and leaving him with his ever-present companion. He knew that the sandy-blond archer had read his intent before he sent everyone away, it was difficult to judge how he was going to react to it, though.

"You're going to surrender, and let them kill you. You'll fall to give your dreams a chance to succeed, and to protect innocent lives."

He simply nodded, watching his lover and wondering if he was going to stop him, or indeed if he had any reason to at all.

"I expected as much from you. Can your plans wait until the morning? Lie with me?"

"Of course, Hayner."

Thirty minutes later found them sweaty and spent in their shared bed, the smaller man's head pillowed on his partner's chest. Seifer didn't want to lose this, he so desperately wanted to stay with the strange person who had saved his life forever.

"Hayner...what would happen if I agreed to return with you to the afterlife?"

"If you were to live…for a while, nothing. We would continue as we had until you were killed or died a natural death. After that, I'd take your soul back to the afterlife with me, and give you the same power of that realm as I have, so you could traverse it as you wish. I could give you just about anything you wanted, short of allowing you to live again. The trade-off would be, even though your soul wouldn't be devoured or fade away, you could never return to the world of the living in a new body…You would be stuck in the afterlife forever. It's not such a bad fate, it just gets lonely when you have no one to share it with."

He smiled, imagining how nice it would be to just relax with his boyfriend for eons on end, slipping out from under him and reaching into the pocket of the pants he'd discarded earlier. Sliding the simple gold band onto his lover's finger, he tried to collect his thoughts.

"Will you give me an eternity to spend with you, Hayner? If I promise you forever, will you stay with me?"

"You understand that once I return the gesture, there's no way I can change it? It's binding. Eternally," the brown-eyed blond answered him carefully, voice low.

"I understand. I want to spend the rest of forever with you. I'll be dead by tomorrow, but no matter how long we had, my answer wouldn't change. I love you, and I will always love you. In life and death."

The other gave him a brilliant smile, before a matching band carved with runes appeared on his own hand, a tingling sensation accompanying it for several seconds. He wondered what it would be like, dying and knowing he had the man he loved waiting for him on the other side. It didn't seem so bad.

"Go to sleep, Seifer. We'll finish preparations in the morning. Might as well be well-rested for your death."

Grinning, he supposed a dark sense of humor was fairly inescapable for them. Pulling his fiance against him, he settled and tried not to think about how they were going to execute him tomorrow. For now, he just wanted to be happy.

* * *

><p>Pulling away from the only person who had ever made a promise to Death that he fully planned on keeping, Hayner sighed. It would be difficult, but then, it would be a pretty lazy wedding gift if it wasn't. He'd give Seifer anything and everything he wanted in this life and the next that he could, might as well start out with the most impressive.<p>

Shifting his form because keeping an illusion hiding his wings and armor would be far too difficult on top of everything, he brushed at a few errant bits of dust that clung to the silvery metal. Stretching his wings, he took off into the sky toward the city that Seifer once lived in, laid siege by some part of the faction they had defeated in the Capitol earlier. Even as old and calm as he was, he could still channel quite a bit of rage when he thought back to what he saw them doing to his lover, torturing him before finally executing him. Their deaths would be too gentle for the likes of them, but at least they'd be dead before any of them could lay a hand on the General.

Balancing on a spire atop the castle overlooking the city, he flashed his teeth in a wicked smile when the guards finally noticed him. Starting nearest him, he steadily sucked the life force out of every soldier in the city, their souls tinged red with ill-will. At some point Seifer had woken up and was riding toward the castle on his horse, something frantic about him. Of course he'd known how much this was straining his partner, they were a matched set now, the pain probably woke him up. He'd have to apologize for that, later. For now, there were just a few dozen soldiers of the thousands he'd slain left, and as he felt them die he slipped from the tip of the spire and came crashing down into the courtyard.

"Goddamn it, Hayner, why did you do that? How much did that hurt, if I could feel it through you?"

Letting his eyes refocus, he could see that the scarred man's eyes were glassy with unshed tears, waiting for the vertigo to recede before cupping his jaw gently.

"You're not supposed to cry, Seif, you're supposed to be happy. All your enemies are dead, and you didn't have to get executed and no one had to fight. It was a gift, at least try to be grateful," he added, trying and failing to sound put-out.

"Thank you, Hayner," he said finally, lifting the lithe man into his arms and carrying him into the building filled with dead bodies.

"You might need to explain to everyone what I really am, otherwise there might be some confusion."

"It can wait until you're safe inside. They trust me, and they trust you. Remaining in the dark a few more minutes won't strain what we've built."

"Any love they have for me is borne of a love for you."

"Then they will love you much more when I inform them that the only reason any of us are still around is because of you, right?"

"Almost all of what you've accomplished has been because of your drive and charisma, it has little to do with me. I just helped you to survive long enough."

"You're pretty humble considering your line of work," Seifer mused, setting him down on a bed in the nearest vacant room.

"Not really. I've realized how powerful and beautiful your kind is, I have a front row seat to all of the amazing things you've done in such short lives. Humans can be the most awful creatures on the planet, but they can also be the most impressive, the kindest."

"Seif, the troops are getting restless, they need an explanation, ya know?" Raijin informed him from the door, his fiancé most likely at his shoulder just out of sight.

"Of course, I'll be right out. Can you get Olette, Naminé and Pence here? Hayner's hurt and I'd rather not leave him alone."

"We assumed as much, we're already here. Go on, do what you need to, we'll take care of him," Olette answered as the three of them filtered in and stood next to their friend.

"Thanks, I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you, Hayner," he added, leaning down to kiss him before smiling and walking out with his two closest friends.

* * *

><p>It wasn't the best speech he'd ever given, but it went over well enough. The fact that he'd added that he was going to marry Death in the near future and it managed to <em>break<em> the stunned silence was fairly telling of their feelings on the whole matter. Perhaps it just reminded them that their commander had been with them for nearly a year, that most if not all of them owed them his life, and that their General absolutely adored the man. Just because he was Death didn't change their experiences with him, and he doubted it would cause either of them problems simply because of how loyal he had been to the army.

"Congratulations," Fuujin said, before kicking him in the shin, hard, as soon as they had reentered the building from the balcony.

He hissed in pain but smiled right after, giving her a hug that Rai joined in on. He really had intended to tell them first and knew they understood that. Reentering the room he'd left Hayner in, he took a moment to admire the massive wings spread across the floor that were the same color as his hair. It seemed the other had made the armor he was wearing disappear, leaving him only in the underclothes he normally wore to bed, half-asleep as Naminé sketched him and the other two talked about wedding plans, apparently having seen the ring on his finger and asked after it.

"How are you doing, Hay?"

"I'm not going to be able to do anything impressive for several days, but in a few hours I might be able to move. It takes effort to remove the wings, so you're just going to have to tolerate them until I'm strong enough to shove them back into another plane."

"Tolerate? I think they're beautiful," he answered, sitting on the floor next to the bed and pulling bits of grass and dirt out of them from when the smaller man had fallen.

"When you die you need to meet some of the romantic poets, I think you'd all get along quite well."

"Is it weird to say I somewhat look forward to the day I die?"

"Considering that you're coming with me when you do, I don't really think so. How long until everyone is calling you King instead of General? Have you already crowned yourself, or are you waiting to settle in?"

"No, I thought I'd offer the country to you first, see if you wanted it. You seem to have more experience with being the lord of a domain, it's only proper."

"Quit being a smartass."

"Have you ever said a more hypocritical thing in your life, Hayner?" Olette asked, suddenly entering the conversation before they forgot themselves.

"I said that someone looked like death once, does that count as hypocrisy or just hilarious irony?"

They laughed and the brown-eyed man smiled softly, looking to be about ready to drift off into proper sleep. The others seemed to catch on and everyone left, with the exception of Naminé, who needed to finish her sketch before she could do anything. It was one of her quirks, and both of them had long ago accepted it, she was too genuinely kind to hold much of anything against.

"I'll just be a few more minutes."

"Take your time, Nam, it's fine," Hayner assured her, closing his eyes.

Once she smiled and left, he climbed up to be with his future husband, pulling him over until he was laying half on top of the scarred man, wings still drooping listlessly off the bed and onto the floor. While it was clear he was desperately tired there was an air of satisfaction about him, and he wasn't unhappy.

"Don't you worry that you'll get tired of me, Hayner?"

His companion shifted slightly, one eye opening to regard him with minor annoyance, "Seif, I love you, but you're an idiot. Of course I'm not worried, because that's not going to happen."

Smiling brightly back, he relaxed a little and decided to watch his lover sleep for a while before trying to rest himself. It was nice, having time to simply lie together after all the war they'd waged. The thought of having this for as long as the universe survived was genuinely calming, and when he finally did fall asleep he dreamed of peace.


	80. Portal

I'm not sure what's up with this little spate of 5k oneshots but I definitely like how this one turned out. I could have spent a lot more time with this but I decided to leave it where it was.

Theme provided by: FicletMistress

Rating: T

* * *

><p>080. Portal<p>

Seifer had been guarding the portal for three days before anything of great interest came through, in the form of a younger man who came flying through and landed on his chest with a grunt. Blinking at him and paging extra security and one of the medical crew down to the containment facility, he stood and walked over, shouldering his rifle when he was certain the other was unarmed and at least appeared harmless. Initial security readings had him as human, or at least something very close to. Kneeling next to him, he checked for a pulse, apparently waking him up because the prone figure suddenly rolled over and opened his eyes. They were brown, but he was clearly wearing contacts, the larger man seeing information reading out on them before the HUD dropped. It wasn't technology that humanity had now, at least not in this corner of the universe.

"Seifer?" He asked, voice smooth and expression searching, maybe a little desperate.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Oh thank the fucking universe, I've finally found you. You have no idea how hard you are to find, portals all over time and space, looking-" He cut himself off as the others ran in, guns raised.

He seemed to be wearing some sort of armored suit made of light materials, it hugged his form but had clearly defined flexible plates to offer higher protection around his torso and upper legs. Seifer wasn't sure how effective it was going to be to energy fire, or if he should be more concerned for the time-traveler or his crewmates. Sneering at them, the other sat up and tapped out something on a keyboard only he could see, information flashing across his eyes, and the whole place shut down, like a curtain falling.

"Don't panic, I'm just holding your facility hostage. Lower your weapons and disassemble them, or the life support goes off and I make a run for it with what I came for and you become statistics," he explained quickly, before their eyes could adjust to the light.

There was something flippant yet serious about him, like he really didn't care if he had to make good on his threat or not. Whoever he was, he was vastly dangerous. The other soldiers seemed to understand that and dismantled their weapons, clinks and ticks as everything was set on the floor with care.

"How old are you, Earth years, and what's your name?" Seifer asked, taking apart his rifle with ease, even in the dark.

"Two-hundred and sixty-eight. I'm always going to be twenty-three, it's a future thing. Gene therapy…I don't have time to explain, and it will be easier just to show you when we do the same to you. My name is Hayner. I need you to come with me back through that portal. It'll disappear when you do, so at least your fellows won't have to find someone else courageous enough to guard it."

"You'll let them have control of the base back?"

"Oh, yes, my jammer doesn't have that kind of range. Once we leave everything will be like it was before, except you won't be in this timeline anymore. It's not where you belong, I can assure you. Please?"

"Just how long have you been looking for me?"

"I can't really explain it in linear time, but this is portal five-thousand, nine-hundred, and fifty-two. Out of those, I have been shot eight hundred and seven times, fifty of those fatally, and either captured, kidnapped, or tortured just over a thousand."

"No exact number?"

"I try not to think about it," Hayner replied with an easy smile and haunted eyes.

He nodded solemnly, glancing back at his compatriots, deciding that even if he was lying about where he was taking the blue-eyed man, he couldn't have faked that look. If he'd suffered so much just to find Seifer and kill him, maybe he was entitled to that. But he didn't think that's what was going to happen, he felt an odd sense that he could trust this person unconditionally.

"Okay, I'll come with you."

The other's tan face lit up and it was a little heartbreaking how much sway he seemed to have over this time-traveler's emotions, how simple it was to make him happy. Hayner took his hand and they walked together through the portal, in one second in the past and in another in the far-flung future, surrounded by people who seemed almost as overjoyed to see him as Hayner had been.

"I'll see you soon, they need to make you medically capable of surviving in this time period, I'll be waiting when they're done," he added before pressing a kiss to Seifer's lips and walking away with another group that seemed to be scanning him for injuries.

They sedated him before he had much time to think about what exactly that kiss had meant and he tumbled into unconsciousness.

* * *

><p>"Captain Almasy, can you hear me? Please open your eyes."<p>

He forced his eyes open and blinked automatically, even though they had somehow already adjusted to the harsh light. There was a woman above him with dark hair that appeared to be a doctor of some sort.

"Your vitals are all dead-on and the nanogene integration was successful, Captain Almasy. Captain Dincht is waiting for you, if you're ready to get up."

"Call me Seifer," he answered, sitting up and noting that he didn't feel all that different, except maybe a little stronger, faster.

She laughed, as if what he said was honestly funny, not the nervous giggle he was more accustomed to from women who he allowed to call him by his first name, "Oh no, only Captain Dincht gets to call you that. Only ever Hayner. You'll understand, if you can ever get the full story out of him. Now go, he's going to come in here if you wait too long."

He nodded, confused, and walked out, finding his new companion leaning against the wall. Hayner was wearing a long black coat with green markings, a similar-length coat hanging on his arm, white with red markings. Information blinked across his eyes, labeling the two objects as 'Greatcoat: Designation Captain Dincht' and 'Greatcoat: Designation Captain Almasy'. The other's information also came up, most importantly 'threat level: 10, threat level to user Seifer: -10'.

"How can you be a negative threat to me?" He asked, realizing the question might sound strange since he was the only one who could see it.

"It means the probability that I protect you in any given situation is one-hundred percent, and by extension, the probability that I harm or kill people to defend you is also one-hundred percent. Over the years we've tried out various ways of assessing threat, simplified percentage seems to be the fastest and easiest to understand. If you want more detailed information on the kind of weaponry I have on me, my combat skills, and my stress levels and injuries, you just have to think about it. The contacts take a bit to get used to, but you'll pick it up. How are you feeling, Seifer?"

"Like you have a lot to catch me up on. Is that coat mine?" He evaded, still seeming out of place wherever and whenever they were.

"You're already aware it is, is it a thing for the twenty-fourth century to ask questions you already know the answer to?" The brown-eyed man answered with a small smile, holding it up and putting it on the scarred man, the action oddly intimate.

"Where and when are we, Hayner?" He pressed, following the other down the corridor.

"We're on a two-thousand person spacecraft, the Kingdom, and the year is three. We started again, after Earth was destroyed. Technically it's two-thousand six-hundred and fifty-eight, in Earth years. After the planet was destroyed, Earth years ceased to have a meaning, so after some deliberation those that remained just started again. No more earth minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. We kept the second, but otherwise went metric. A minute is one hundred seconds, an hour is one hundred minutes, a day is ten hours, a week is ten days, a year is thirty weeks. It makes for a considerably longer day, but we've evolved to need less sleep per work period. They argued over the year for quite a while, but decided to keep it as close in number of seconds to an Earth year as they could."

"If you don't age, why does it matter?"

"Archival purposes, and of course, children born now are going to grow year by year until they hit twenty-three of our new years. How much of your past do you remember, Seifer?"

"A few years. I was found near the base I was stationed, they assumed from my gear that I was military, but I had amnesia. They checked me out and I reenlisted when they decided I was safe. I'm from this time, aren't I?"

"You are. Or, sort of, you were born a few years before me. The same enemy that destroyed Earth kidnapped you, wiped your memory and removed your nanogenes to reverse engineer them, then threw you through one of their space-time portals in an attempt to distract me. They had to send you fairly far back, if they didn't send you back far enough you could have crossed your own time and broke the universe."

He desperately wanted to ask why losing Seifer would have distracted the other Captain from his duty and why Hayner had spent so damn much time and suffered so much looking for him, but they entered what he assumed was the bridge right then and filed the questions away for later. They'd have time to speak in private again, he knew it.

"Captain Dincht, I've heard news that you found Captain Almasy, we would like visual confirmation," a voice said, coming from a vaguely orange-skinned man on the view screen, wearing a vastly different uniform than they were.

Hayner stepped up to one of two chairs in the center of the bridge, standing behind it and smiling, "Yes, of course, Admiral. Seif, this is Admiral Tarik."

"Admiral," he replied, nodding at the man as he came to stand behind the other chair, wondering absently at the use of the nickname.

"Captain. I assume you haven't managed to recover any of your memory?"

"Blank slate, sir."

"We already did a brain scan, which you're aware of. There's less than a thirty percent chance of him recovering any of his memory unless he's triggered by something. Triggering him could be dangerous. I assure you, within a few days I can have him competent to run this ship without me."

"It wasn't Captain Almasy I was concerned about, but I trust your judgment. Welcome back, Captain. Get some rest, you'll have a week before we need you to return to reunite with the fleet. You have overdue military honors, both of you. For peace," he added, signing off just as they returned the sentiment.

"Officer J'oh, you have command, we'll be retiring to sleep, and may stay off the bridge tomorrow as well."

"Captains," a humanoid with extra arms acknowledged.

He started accessing the information available to him through his contacts as he followed his counterpart, learning a little history as well as the basics of captaining a ship this size. The Kingdom was apparently twice the size of the next largest spaceship, warranting two captains, and it had always been Hayner and himself at the helm. He paused when he saw the date they assumed control; well over a hundred years ago.

"When was I kidnapped? How many years ago?"

"It doesn't matter, you're back now," the sandy-blond answered, expression shuttering.

"Please answer me?"

"Four. You never got to see the final moments of Earth, or the end of the war. We sentenced the enemy survivors to death. We committed complete genocide of their people, their culture, and their home planet. You may be surprised to find that not a single person even feels bad about this, least of all me."

"What were the total casualties?"

"On our side? Nine billion. The cost of peace was over nine-tenths of the human population across the entire galaxy. There are less than a billion humans left."

He blanched, failing to even fathom a number of lives that large, snuffed out for reasons he didn't remember, if there ever were any. They stepped into an elevator that took them to another level and entered a large room two doors down on the left. It was fairly pointless to try and memorize a ship this large, he could probably get his contacts to lead him to places he needed to go, but more likely he'd never be without Hayner at his side.

Once inside he recognized a few objects on shelves as belonging to him, though he had no idea how he got them or what they'd ever meant to him. One item in particular drew his attention and he walked over to it, touching it gently but not picking it up. It was a ring, one that flashed with a rainbow of colors even while stationary. Upon further inspection he realized that there was something inside that was shifting, producing the strange lights. Looking back at his companion, he saw a matching ring on his ring finger. He felt dizzy and a bit sick, images appearing in his mind, apparently of his own wedding on Earth.

"Seifer? Talk to me, are you alright?" The brown-eyed captain asked frantically, and he realized with a start he was staring up at him from the floor.

"Did I collapse?"

"Yes, what happened?"

"I remembered. We're married. How long have we been married, Hayner?"

"We were celebrating our hundredth anniversary when the ship was attacked and you were taken. Officially you were never declared dead, so we are still married. I'd say we can annul our marriage if you wanted, but I don't actually think I could do that," he added, blinking at tears.

"I wouldn't ask you to, Hay," Seifer answered, sitting up and pulling his husband into his arms, several things slotting into place in his mind.

Hayner had endured disappointment, torture, and death repeatedly to find him, because they were still desperately in love after over a hundred years together. The Kingdom had been operating without either of its captains for at least several months because they all knew how much Seifer had meant to Hayner, all had respect and love for their leaders and wanted both of them back in working condition. And the spiky-haired man honestly had not cared what happened to that near-earth outpost because he'd watched billions of people die for little to no reason, killed millions of humanoids himself, and two-hundred lives meant literally nothing to him if he could get Seifer back. They were lucky he even gave them the option to surrender.

"What if this is all I remember?" He asked.

"It's more than I expected, more than I could have asked for."

"Bullshit, as far as I'm concerned the universe owes you quite a few favors."

"I think I called one in just finding you in the first place. There were ten times as many portals that I hadn't even been through, and even if I found where they'd thrown you, I had no guarantee you would have been alive."

"I'm sorry you suffered for me."

"You're back, that's all that matters. Even if you're not the same man that left, you're still Seifer, and I still love you."

"You know how to get my memories back, don't you? But it's too dangerous for you to ever bring up with me," he guessed, once his lover had pulled away to look at him.

His fellow captain looked away, deep in thought, and several minutes passed before dark eyes met his again, defeated. For all the years he'd lived, sadness still managed to make him look young.

"There's a good chance you'll die. But they're your memories, and it's your life. If you want to learn more about it, talk to Yvonne in medical."

"You'd be happier if I didn't, though," he said, a statement rather than a question, because he knew the answer.

"Yes, I'd be happier if you didn't risk your life. But like I said, it's yours to risk. I won't stop you if you want to go through with it, but I would prefer if you'd at least talk it over with me first."

"What could ever have rendered you foolish enough to love a man like me, Hayner?" The man with ice-colored eyes asked, mouth and vocal chords forming the words without any conscious input from him.

When his counterpart started sobbing he realized he'd said something his past self often had and felt a pang in his chest. It was wrong to go on like this, his very existence was a strain on his partner and every few minutes he'd go saying something either right or wrong and no matter what it was going to hurt. Stroking Hayner's back while he cried, Seifer waited until his breathing had evened out before lifting him and carrying him over to the large bed visible in the next room. Stripping him down to nothing using pure muscle memory, he stopped before doing the same to himself, stepping out and into the main room long enough to grab the ring and slip it on. It felt instantly right, quelling a sense of wrongness he hadn't even been aware of until now. Glancing back at Hayner, he felt the same pain in his chest, resolving to try and do something about their situation before things got any worse.

He couldn't decide what would be worse, having a loved one who didn't remember anything you'd shared, or having a loved one that would live on as they had been but only in your memories of them.

* * *

><p>"Even without your memories, you're still the kind of man that can't leave well enough alone, aren't you, Captain Almasy?" Yvonne asked, her slitted viper eyes watching him as she combed a slightly scaled hand through her long hair.<p>

She was half-human, the other part of her genetic information coming from a species of snakelike humanoids. At first her appearance had unnerved him, but after a few seconds the feeling vanished.

"Doctor, when was the last time Hayner had a psychological evaluation?"

"You know, just because you're his co-captain, doesn't mean you have a right to his medical record."

"I'm his husband and we agreed to share full legal rights to everything, including our medical records. You know this, you're just testing me."

"That's odd, he said he wasn't going to mention it, and we specifically locked those files from you for the time being," she answered, baiting him.

He rose to it, "I remembered our wedding and vows when I saw my wedding ring. But there's a good chance I won't properly remember anything else, and that's a problem, which is why I'd really appreciate if you could answer my first question."

"His last psych eval was after the last time he was tortured, which was about two days ago in our chronology, three weeks in his. We had to send an extraction team. You're both functionally immortal because of the special nanogenes you both carry; as captains you were given upgrades that allow you to survive and self-repair just about any injury, and that's why the Eru were so determined to kidnap one of you so they could take the nanogenes and use them in research. Hayner has died fifty times so far as a result of his searching for you and been tortured many more. I hope you realize how much he's suffered to bring you back."

"But do you realize how much he's suffering _because_ I'm here? I know he has every intention of dealing with me as I am, but I don't actually think he can. Every second I'm around he's one step closer to a complete mental breakdown and I'm not going to be a party to that unless I have to. Some things are worse than death, some things are worse than loss."

"What a love yours must be, to survive the complete loss of your memories. Maybe it's genetic, maybe you were just made to be together. Or you somehow stored your love for him as a drive, like muscle memory for the brain, so even if you don't remember why you love him, you do. You do it because anything else feels wrong. Maybe you've been together long enough that your entire brain has been rewired around the goal of loving Captain Dincht. You want to know about how to regain your memories, correct? Since I've confirmed that you still manage to love someone you barely know, I'm going to let you know more about your husband's medical history. He's been put on a week-long suicide watch six times since you've been gone and received a significantly higher amount of therapy than other captains, even before he got a chance to start looking for you. He has not done well without you, and I'd venture to guess the only thing that has kept him from killing himself was his lust for revenge during the war, and his hope of one day finding you ever since."

"How can he kill himself?"

"The nanogenes are controlled by the mind and body, if he has given up on living and kills himself, they will not bring him back because he does not want to be brought back. It's designed to allow captains the right to opt out of immortality without having to convince an Alliance board of doctors to neutralize the nanogenes. Everyone should have control over their own life, and that extends to the right to die.

"You're trying to make me decide not to go through with getting back my memories."

"No, Captain, I'm trying to make the decision difficult for you, because it should be. You have every right to make whatever choice, but it should not be easy to decide to either force the love of your life to suffer, or alternatively cause them to kill themselves."

"Hayner would never hold his own life hostage to force me to do or not do something."

"No, he certainly wouldn't. Lucky for everyone that I have no such scruples."

"At least tell me what the procedure would be? I should be informed before I make a decision."

"We have your memories, the Eru sent them back along with the ring to taunt Hayner into acting rashly, a sort of ransom note. We," she stopped and tapped her finger on the desk she sat behind, cautious, "Tried inserting them into the wiped minds of captured Erus, and it worked well enough until either we finished or we got to your most recent memories. A male human felon volunteered to the project, with the idea that if he survived he would be wiped clean and live a full life on a colony somewhere after a pardon for his crimes. He died as well, just as we finished the procedure."

"Any idea the cause?"

"Nothing like this has happened before, but we have two strong theories. Either the process of re-implanting the memories is too stressful for the mind to handle, or the pain of having them ripped out in the first place is what caused the heart failure that killed all of them. Their hearts…exploded, would probably be the best term, beat far over the maximum allowance per interval for either species and ruptured in several places."

"Unlike them, I'm functionally immortal."

"But whether or not you'd actually be able to function afterward is the question. You have a fifty-fifty chance of being left brain dead from the stress on your mind. We have no way of knowing if the nanogenes can repair that kind of damage, or if you'd have the will to allow them to at that point."

"None of your test subjects were me, and none of them had Hayner either. If my entire existence seems to be dedicated to loving my husband, it would stand to reason I'd be able to keep myself alive even if the worst circumstances and through the worst pain. It worked the first time, didn't it? Do we even know if I still had them when they took my memories?"

"No way of knowing if they had extracted your nanogenes or not. I can tell you've already decided, but you're going to talk it over with Hayner, right?"

"You know me better than that, Doctor," he answered, standing with every intent of returning to his companion.

"You're right, I do, Captain Almasy. Good luck with him," she added with a small, sad smile.

He returned to his lover much as he'd left him, though now he was lying in their bed reading a report instead of watching Seifer leave with resignation written clearly on his face. Touching the ring on his finger, he walked into the bedroom and took his coat off, hanging it on the strange living coatrack they had, which shifted to accommodate the length even on lower branches. The screen the other was working on faded off his eyes and they focused on him instead.

"Can you answer me something honestly?" The blue-eyed blond asked, lying down next to him.

"Of course."

"If I were dead and you wanted to commit suicide, would you be allowed to, by the crew?"

"I have a hundred and fifty years of loyalty built up on this ship, and thanks to the longevity of some species, a few of the original crew are still left. I would wager over half of the crew would be willing to do whatever it took to help me get there, including holding back the other half. We have two commanding officers, they could take over as captains."

"I know it seems selfish to you, but you can't expect me to live another two and a half centuries harming you every step of the way and missing almost everything that makes me who I am any more than I can expect you to carry on if I die."

"It's not selfish, Seifer. Selfish would be using your lost memories as an excuse to start a new life without me. Selfish would be staying the way you are because you're too afraid of dying. Selfish would be making your decision based solely on the fact that your lost memories affected you, and I know for a fact your entire decision was made when you made me cry because even now you cannot physically bear the thought of hurting me. Selfish is me allowing you to do this to yourself because I can't handle having you but being reminded every second of what I don't have. Selfish is me thinking that the cursory effort I made to try and keep you in the dark about it was good enough. Selfish is the gun I have in the bottom drawer because I've lived too long to be alone again. Everything's different now and you've been the one constant in my life for almost longer than I can remember, I'm not going to go back."

"Neither of us are selfish, then. Or both of us. No matter what, yours is the only opinion I care about. I love you, Hayner."

"I love you too, Seifer," he answered quietly, rolling over to curl up with his head on Seifer's chest.

* * *

><p>Sometime after the searing pain had stopped he regained a sense of where and who he was, twitching at the restraints before forcing his eyes open. Yvonne was quick to undo them, while the other three doctors were busy scanning him and attempting to talk over each other in order to see if he was alright. Scanning the room for his husband, he scowled when he realized they'd taken Hayner somewhere else, asking after him above the din of voices and shoving them out of his way when they didn't answer.<p>

"Captain, we need to make sure-"

"I don't give a fuck, where's Hayner?" He snarled, feeling incredibly edgy.

"That's enough, all of you, let him through. You're raising his blood pressure right now, you can do what you need to once he and Hayner are in the same room again," Yvonne hissed at them as she shoved them out of the way, gesturing to a door to the right.

He walked through it and it slid shut behind him when he overrode the sensor and locked it, crossing the distance between him and his longtime partner and co-captain. Hayner was sitting on one of the medical examination tables in the room, looking visibly distressed before he realized Seifer had entered and large brown eyes lit with carefully measured hope.

"Don't look so happy to see me, Chickadee," he said with feigned irritation, smirking when the nickname got the reaction he desired.

His counterpart tackled him to the floor in a hug, tongue finding its way into his mouth when he exhaled. Letting the kiss progress, he waited a few moments before flipping them so he was straddling his smaller partner, biting his lip before pulling away. They were both desperate enough to let this progress much farther than it should when there were people waiting for them to resurface and they were in a room that other people could override the locks on.

"Do you remember everything?" The spiky-haired man asked, tracing his scar affectionately.

"I do. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that for me."

"We both know they were aiming for me when you pushed me out of the way of their stun weapon, and we both know you'd have done the very same for me. Don't be sorry, Seif, just don't leave me alone like that again."

"Of course not, Chickadee, I don't plan on ever leaving your side again."

"We should go, the doctors probably need to check on you. I'm sure Yvonne is blocking the door bodily and that's the only way they haven't gotten through already."

He hummed assent and stood, helping his companion up and kissing him chastely before removing the lock on the door and walking out, rolling his eyes at the swarm of medical personnel. Reassuring everyone that he was really himself and that he was actually rather fine considering over and over was going to be tedious and probably necessary for years to come, but he was definitely glad to be back.


	81. Relax

Had this idea in my head for a bit, decided to keep it short and more on the subtle side of things because I can't seem to update frequently enough as it is. I will answer your reviews soon, I've been sick and this was my first day off in two weeks.

Theme provided by: Wheredestiniesmeet17

Rating: PG

* * *

><p>081. Relax<p>

He hadn't intended to interrupt three adults that appeared to be breaking into one of the many shops that circled the market district, but once their gazes turned on him he very intentionally took off running. Another person, a woman who was probably their lookout, joined them in the chase as he ducked into an alley. Minutes of putting distance and darkness between them in the maze of Twilight Town did little to steady his heart rate, especially since he could still hear them as they fanned out to try and track him down. Just as he came up to another corner he was grabbed and pulled sideways forcefully, a hand over his mouth and an arm around his torso to pin his at his sides.

"Relax, it's me," whispered a low voice in his ear, body automatically loosening before he even consciously recognized the person holding him.

Measuring his breathing through his nose in the hopes his heart would stop pounding in his chest, he wondered what the hell Seifer was doing out right now, and why he'd taken it upon himself to rescue the skater he counted as an enemy more often than a friend. He kept his mind on answering those questions to prevent it from focusing on the hot breath on his neck or the way Seifer's chest felt pressed against his back.

Somewhere a trashcan was struck, creating a noise loud enough that he nearly jumped, and the group following him thundered off in the opposite direction. Apparently certain he wasn't going to scream or run away for the moment, the scarred bully let him go, stepping away from the wall and holding his arms out, looking up. Fuu fell into them seconds later, apparently jumping down from the roof of the building, and he set the slight girl on her feet before meeting his eyes.

"We should get farther away from here before we strike up a conversation, chickie, come on," he instructed.

Rai fell into step with them after a minute, and they headed in the direction of Seifer's apartment, though he had no way of knowing how far they wanted to take him. This wasn't at all how he saw his late-night walk to clear his head going, but he supposed as long as he didn't end up injured it wasn't a complete loss. This certainly had taken a lot of things off his mind. He stopped in front of the other blond's door, only to be grabbed by the wrist and yanked inside, the door being shut by the black-haired boy behind him.

"First off, are you hurt?" The blue-eyed male began, Hayner suddenly finding himself pinned against the wall next to the door.

"No, I'm fine. What the hell were you doing out there, and how did you know it was me?"

"Really, you're the one who ends up chased by would-be criminals, and you're asking me what I was doing out this late? I knew it was you because I saw you run into the alley, you dumbass. Did you just not notice them breaking into that building, or did you honestly walk up to them to try and get them to stop?"

"I didn't notice them, asshole, you really think I'd approach three guys who probably had weapons and ask them politely to stop trying to rob a business at two in the morning?" He spat, intensely aware of how little space there was between their faces.

"At least you had the good sense to run when they saw you. Rai, Fuu, could you give us a moment?" He called over his shoulder, the others nodding before walking out of the building, likely going to keep an eye out for the people from before even if they were long gone.

"What do you want, Seifer?" The brown-eyed teen hissed, shoving off the wall and unbalancing his counterpart enough to escape the pin.

"I was surprised when you actually followed my suggestion and relaxed so quickly, what's up with that? I thought you hated me, if anything you'd get more tense."

He knew he was blushing and it really wasn't helpful right now, "I don't hate you, and even if I did, at the very least I knew you weren't going to hurt me."

"Why do you blush so much around me?" The other pressed, smirking like he already knew the answer.

"Because you make me uncomfortable," he returned, glancing away.

"You didn't seem all that uncomfortable in that alley once you knew it was me."

He felt anger break through his nerves, eyes narrowing and hands clenching into fists at his side. This really had to stop and if he didn't do something now it never would.

"Alright Seifer, you really want to push this? For some reason, despite your shitty attitude and abrasive as fuck personality, I'm really fucking attracted to you and I actually like you. If you've got a problem with that you should start avoiding me because I'll be damned if I'm changing myself because someone who bullies me constantly is uncomfortable with me," he answered, chin up and teeth bared.

The other blinked and canted his head slightly to the side curiously, "Anyone ever tell you you're really hot when you're mad?"

"You're about the only one who makes me angry, is that why you do it?" Hayner returned as evenly as he could, heart rate spiking again.

"Hell yes," he began, grabbing his companion's arms and slamming him back against the wall as was his penchant before leaning in and continuing, "Relax, it's me."


End file.
